Force of Nature
by DarkTragicAngel
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin is a desperate soul. He will do anything to save his son. He will even make a deal with the Dark One. A deal that will change his life forever. A deal that will have repercurssions for the entire world. Dark Belle. Rated M for sexual and violent scenes.
1. Sacrifice

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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_They lowered the ages to fourteen._

_Fourteen._

_How could one possibly think a boy of fourteen was man enough to fight a war?_

_How could one possibly think a child could fight an ogre?_

Rumpelstiltskin dwelled in these troubling thoughts in the darkness of his poor home. His son, his only child, slept peacefully in his warm bed, while the world got madder by the passing minute.

_How am I going to save him?_

Rumpelstiltskin had futilely tried fleeing with his son. A sad attempt that not only ended as a miserable failure, but also brought unwanted truths to the light. Truths he had buried away from his son for many years. It had been humiliating. It had been painful. He wondered if the child still looked at him with innocent admiration or if he finally had come to understand the coward his father really was. The cripple sighed. He looked at the lying figure of his son sleeping so serenely. He wondered how Baelfire could even rest, knowing tomorrow was his birthday. Knowing his present was death. It took a while for the man to realize tears were cascading silently from his eyes. If Baelfire went to the war, the boy surely would be killed. Then he would die altogether. He would lose everything he loved and cared in his life. He would finally become dust.

_"The Dark One can answer any request_." The old beggar had told him. "_But the Dark One always asks for a price. One people usually regret later on. You probably should just accept reality. If it's your boy's fate to die, then you can do nothing against it."_

The beggar's words ringed in his head. How could he accept such a horrible fate for his son? He loved the boy more than anything in the world. Not only because he was his son, but because he was a great person. Intelligent, hard-worker, caring, cheerful and supportive. A child full of life and with a promising future. Well, he could forget about his future now. Rumpelstiltskin got up and paced a few steps to look closer at the face of the most important person in his life.

_No price can be too high._

He had come to a decision. He would save his son. He was a desperate soul. Desperate enough to make a deal with the Dark One. Rumpelstiltskin got his cloak and silently stepped outside. The night was chilly, the sky clear and starry. He moved invisible, becoming one of the shadows of the streets. After an hour, he reached the edge of the woods, a perfectly isolated place, where nobody would see or hear him. Even if he screamed.

He was scared. He was beyond scared. Terrified. Yet, the thought of losing his son made him desperate enough to ignore his fears and do the only brave thing he ever did in his entire life. He summoned the Dark One. Raising the torch in the air, Rumpelstiltskin spoke the words he had learned from childhood tales.

"Dark One. I summon thy."

There was silence. The only sound was the wind brushing the leaves of the trees.

"Dark One. I summon thy!" He tried louder.

Again no response. He sighed defeated. He was so pathetic, so insignificant, even the Dark One didn't bother to answer his desperate call. He slowly turned around and let out a scream of surprise. A hooded figure stood opposite him. The person was smaller than him, but then he knew size did not matter when one wielded dark magic.

"You…are the Dark One?" The cripple whispered, afraid his voice would disturb the silence that engulfed them. Of course he knew this person was the Dark One. But the non reaction from the other person made him ask the question.

"Yes. You summoned me." Rumpelstiltskin was surprised to hear the voice was of a woman. He had heard tales about the Dark One, about the creature's unbelievable evil and vile deeds. But a gender never was mentioned, so he always assumed it was a _he_. He nodded to the question that was actually a statement.

"T-The Ogres Wars…They are sending children to them. The age was lowered to fourteen." He spoke in a shaky voice, staring at the blackness under the hood. "My son is turning fourteen tomorrow."

"You wish me to save your son." Again, it was not a question.

"I wish you to stop these wars once and for all."

Rumpelstiltskin finally summoned his little courage to say what he really wanted. What he always had wanted. To put an end to the horrible wars, to the innocent and useless blood shedding, to the countless deaths. The Dark One was silent for some moments and finally drew back the hood. The creature did not look like anything Rumpelstiltskin had ever imagined. In his mind, the Dark One was a monstrosity, a being of ugliness, deformed and appalling. Instead, the Dark One was a beautiful young woman with dark curly long hair and clear eyes. Rumpelstiltskin had seen many beautiful women during his life, but none had a beauty that competed with the Dark One. He stared at her fascinated by her beauty and almost forgot whom he was dealing with.

"You wish me to put an end to the Ogre Wars and save all children, including your son?" This time it was clearly a question and all the cripple was able to do was nod. The Dark One frowned slightly. "It's quite an accomplishment you are asking for. My price will be high."

There was a moment of silent tension. The Dark One was clearly testing the willingness of this desperate soul. She already knew his answer, but needed him to understand this was truly what he wanted and, above all, to realize how far he would go to achieve it. Rumpelstiltskin hesitated for half a second. During this half a second he would give into his fears and leave the deal undone. During this half a second, the coward left his son and abandoned him to his fate. But it lasted only half a second.

"I'm just a poor spinner. I have nothing to give, no possessions, no richness…But I'll do anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Yes."

For the first time, the Dark One smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. It was one full of malice, one so misplaced in such beautiful features that it brought chills down the cripple's spine. She paced slowly and walked around the man's figure.

"Very well. My price is…you." Rumpelstiltskin stared confused at the woman. "I'll bring an end to the wars, save all the children, save your son…if you'll be mine."

"You mean…like a slave?" The Dark One stood again opposite him and smiled wickedly. "Why?"

"Let's say…I need a caretaker for my rather large estate. It will be forever."

Again, there was a heavy silence. The Dark One could see the doubts forming in the head of the miserable man. She could see his mind trying to reason with his despair. But she knew the love he felt for his son was stronger than anything else he felt.

"And the children, my son… they will all live?"

"You have my word."

"Then, you have mine. I will go with you forever… With one condition." The Dark One lifted an eyebrow. This was a curious man, daring to impose to her. But she listened. "I get to bid farewell to my son."

…

The Dark One stood outside Rumpelstiltskin's small house. She had put her hood back on again, so if anybody crossed paths with her by chance, could not see her face. Yet, anyone that would wander in the street would think the sight was strange, a small figure of a hooded person standing like a statue in front of the spinner's home. But no one saw this image, because the village was still deep in sleep.

Inside, Rumpelstiltskin gathered all the strength and courage he could to wake up his son from his slumber and bring down the awful news. Except for the time he had to served in the wars, Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire were never separated. They were loyal to each other and were best friends, a relationship that envied many parents.

The cripple softly sat on the edge of his son's bed. With a trembling hand, he shook gently the boy's shoulder. Baelfire woke up. His eyes opened slowly and he blinked several times.

"Is it already morning?" The boy asked, feeling like he still could sleep another couple hours.

"No, my son. It's still night." Immediately Baelfire sensed something was wrong. He could hear it in his father's voice. He could see it in his pale and worried features.

"What happened, papa?"

"I made a deal with the Dark One." Baelfire's eyes widened terribly. He was silent for a few seconds, processing what his father had just said. He knew the tales of the Dark One and he knew they never ended well.

"Why, papa? Why?"

"I could not let you die." Rumpelstiltskin sadly said. He put on hand on his son's face, memorizing each line and feature of his boy's face. He looked lovingly at his son, the only thing he was proud of in his life. "You'll be safe now. You and all children. You can grow up and have a future." Baelfire shook his head speechless. He feared for what his father would say next. He could sense the sadness and something even more horrible concealed behind it. "Son, you have to be strong. Remember the things I taught you. You know enough to on with your daily life. And you always have our neighbors to help you out."

"But there is still a lot you need to teach me!" Baelfire said between his first sobs. He could not accept it. This could not be farewell.

"I'm sorry…I made a deal. I made a deal to serve the Dark One forever." Baelfire stared shocked at his father.

"No! Papa, no!" He could see his father was heartbroken. He was sacrificing himself for him. But he didn't want that. He didn't want his father to leave him. "Please take me with you!"

"No, Bae. I would never condemn you to such a fate! I want you to have a life."

"I don't want to have a life without you!" At that moment here was a knock on the door. Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes in agony. He knew it was the Dark One growing impatient. He knew he was taking more time than agreed. "Don't go!" The boy begged.

"I'm sorry, I must." The cripple got up, trying to ignore the way his son was clinging to his body. "Tomorrow the war will be over. And you will live." He sadly smiled, caressed his son's cheek and exited his house. His heart broke into thousand little pieces when he heard the voice of his son crying and imploring him not to go. Not to leave him. Once he closed the door behind him, shutting his son in the house, he faced the hooded figure.

"Finally." The Dark One spoke.

Without warning, she grabbed the cripple's arm. The door flew open and Baelfire came just in time to watch his father turn into a strange dark purple smoke. In a second he was gone. Soon the village would wake up with the screams from the devastated boy whose father had traded his life to save his.

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**Please, write your thoughts about this new-born story**


	2. First Impressions

**Thank for your reviews. Hopefully, you won't be disappointed with the story: Disneymouse, Eyes like Dawn, Ladii Emelia, Grace5231973, thedoctorsgirl42, EndlessDream91 The Prince's Phoenix, cat4444, Michael Clifford**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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It was a strange feeling, to be engulfed by magic, by this purple smoke of dark shades. Rumpestiltskin's body felt light. His head felt light. For moments, he believed he had died and became somehow immaterial. And when he thought he could not endure the dizziness for a second longer, it suddenly stopped. They were still outside. But they weren't anymore in his street by his home. They were on a large courtyard surrounded by high mountains and trees. Rumpelstilskin turned slowly around, taking in the new surroundings that were to be his new home. He gasped at the sight of castle. It was large, immense and it stood on front of him in its impressiveness and darkness.

"Home, sweet home." The Dark One sung mockingly.

She gestured him to follow her. While a new day broke, they walked along long empty and cold corridors. Rumpelstiltskin looked around and could imagine a time when this castle was beautiful and illuminated, crowded with nobles and workers, filled with noise, chatter and laughter. Now all that remained was emptiness, coldness and solitude. The only sound was the one of their steps echoing in the cold stones. The Dark One gave him a tour around the castle and his concerns about his son being left behind in his distress were slowly being replaced by the realization of the immensity of work he saw ahead of him. There were many corridors and stairways, halls and galleries and endless rooms to be cleaned up.

_It will take me forever to clean up this place._

He frowned at the irony of his thought, realizing that was exactly the amount of time the Dark One had given him to stay in the castle. She led him to the kitchens, pastry rooms, showed the contents of the shelves, where the food was, as well as the cleaning supplies.

"Do you remember the last room we were in?" The Dark One casually asked.

"The one with the long table?" She nodded.

"Bring me some fresh tea and I'll explain your tasks."

She left without waiting for a reaction. Rumpelstiltskin stood a while still. His head was full. In only a couple hours, he had made a life changing deal, traded his life for his son's and strolled endlessly in a too large, too empty and too dirty castle. _I wish I had a map of this place._ He thought as he poured hot water into the teapot. He sighed and ended up accepting the fact he would eventually have to learn his way around the castle.

He carefully entered the large room. It was not easy to carry a tray with teacups and boiling water, while he limped painfully. He had cursed internally when he had to climb only five steps to exit the kitchen and had been joggling with the tray the whole way to the appointed room. The Dark One watched with interest the hobbling figure enter less clumsily than she had expected. He seemed to have a good balance and found a way of holding the tray with all its contents unharmed, without letting anything fall. As soon as he reached the edge of the table, he sighed of relieve. He took the teapot and started pouring hot water in one of the cups.

"You will serve me my meals, and you will clean the Dark Castle." The Dark One started. "You will dust my collection and launder my clothing." She paused and gave him a mischievous grin. "Oh! How is your performance in bed?"

Rumpelstiltskin's head shot and he let the teacup drop from his hand. He stared at the Dark One with widened eyes and felt all the blood drain down his face. Surely he had understood wrong.

"H-How is my whAt?"

"I want to know how you are in bed. If you are capable." The Dark One giggled as her new toy went from pale to red.

"I-I…" He was speechless. This was not something he had expected to add in his list of chores. He opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to answer her. What was he suppose to say anyway?

"Well…Can you get it up or not?" She asked mockingly, clearly enjoying herself with the man's embarrassment. He looked the more lost and the redder by the minute.

"I haven't been with a woman for a long time." He finally managed to utter.

"Widower?" He nodded, swallowing dry. "How long?" The mocking tone was gone and was replaced by mere curiosity. She watched him struggling a while before answering in a cautious whisper.

"Seven years."

"Seven years! Well, I hope you're not too rusty, then." She said in a giggle. Then she lowered her voice to a more malicious tone. "I guess we'll figure out that tonight."

Again Rumpelstiltskin swallowed dry. He was in serious trouble now. He had long forgotten how it was to feel the touch of a woman. After he returned from the wars, it was seldom when his wife let him bed her. He suddenly was scared. He was scared to fail and displease her. Most of all, he was afraid of what she would to him if he displeased her. He already knew he would upset her with his disastrous cooking skills.

"The tea, please. Before it becomes cold." The Dark One reminded him of his present task.

Only now did Rumpelstiltskin notice he had let the cup fell. He almost growled of frustration. He had managed to walk all the way to the room, limping without the slightest incident to drop a cup there and then. He picked it up and stared at the small cup worriedly.

"Uhm…I'm sorry…It's chipped." He slightly lifted up the cup towards the Dark One, who was staring at the little object with a slight frown of mystification. "It's really small. You can hardly see it."

"It's just a cup." She dismissed casually. She had plenty of cups to go on. Rumpelstiltskin sighed for the second time of relieve and blessed the gods she hadn't stroke him down yet. Again, the Dark One watched the way he cautiously moved to bring a new cup to her, without spilling the aromatic water. "What happened to your leg?" She asked out of pure curiosity. Rumpelstiltskin looked at it.

"The Ogres War, m'lady. Many years ago."

"Does it hurt a lot?" Rumpelstiltskin was a bit surprised by the genuine curiosity of the woman. He could not sense any mockery or maliciousness in her voice this time.

"I've learned to live with it."

The Dark One nodded. She took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the taste. There was one thing she already knew he was good in and that was tea making. She opened her eyes and noticed he was standing close to the table, his head down submissively, waiting for further instructions. She smiled. She liked the manners of this slave. He was quiet, dutiful and passive. She had had many other slaves before, and in the first day they would act beyond nervous until she got enough of their exaggerated display of distress. It was pleasant to have a slave that didn't startle at each sound she produced, didn't sob uncontrollably or pleaded constantly for mercy and forgiveness. She could sense his fear, however. But it was a fear lived inward. And that gave her enough satisfaction.

"Come closer." She demanded. He looked a bit worried but obeyed and approached a little bit. She gestured him to advance more and he paced until he reached her. "Let me see the wound." Rumpelstiltskin jumped back when her hand almost touched his knee. She looked up and he could see in her blue eyes, her iris dilate from anger.

"Please, it's not a pretty sight." He begged, his head down submissively again. The Dark One's anger subsided a bit but she wasn't going to give him his way.

"Let me see it." Her voice was firm and with no space for discussion. So, although contradicted, Rumpelstiltskin came close enough for her to examine his leg. He closed his eyes, suppressing a sob of misery. He didn't have to look to see the long scar drawn from his knee cap, down his leg. He didn't need look to see the misshapenness of his kneecap, or the sickening shades of purple and red on the forever damaged tissues. "Looks painful." The Dark One neutrally stated. Rumpelstiltskin suppressed a chuckle at the woman's cold reaction. It was a sight to make anybody's insides turn. "This is a problem." She said, letting the material fall back down. The Dark One looked actually thoughtful and Rumpelstiltskin wondered if would be tortured for having a handicap. The Dark One sighed displeased. "I don't usually do this, but in your case, it's absolutely necessary." Rumpelstiltskin felt his heart jump to his throat.

"You're not going to chop it off, are you?" His voice came out higher than he intended. The Dark One stared up at him with a slight frown, looking somehow confused.

"Why would I want to do that? So that you can serve my meals hopping on one foot? Than would be highly unhandy." In normal circumstances, Rumpelstiltskin would have felt insulted and humiliated, but she sounded actually serious. "I need you to be fit, with every part of your body functioning properly. Otherwise how are you going to do the chores?"

Rumpelstiltskin stared at her in pure perplexity. His mind was trying to process the meaning of her words, but he failed to understand. He watched in stillness, too confused to react, as her hand travelled up and down, just few inches from his skin. He saw a soft blue glow around her hand and felt a fresh and pleasant feeling around the wounded area. Slowly he relaxed while the everlasting pain gradually faded away.

"There. Much better. Now you can work properly." The Dark One sounded satisfied with herself. Rumpelstiltskin, on the other hand, was rooted where he stood, his eyes widen of unbelief. He gently touched his knee with his shaky hand and released a gasp when he pulled the material of his trousers up. There were no signs of a scare, of a mutilated knee. No signs of any handicap on his limb. All he saw was a regular healthy leg. Being unable to believe what he was experiencing, he let out laughter of incredulity. He looked up to meet a Dark One staring at him with an amused expression.

"The pain is gone!" He stupidly announced. Of course she knew the pain was gone. She was the one to cure his damaged leg in the first place. But the joy of having his freedom of movement back, of a painless existence, was too overwhelming. Pure happiness was bursting in his chest and he needed to share it with someone. "It's gone! Oh, by the gods."

Rumpelstiltskin had to support himself on the table. He took one shaky hand to his temple. He was feeling dizzy. His whole body was trembling from the overpowering emotions. He lived too many intense things in one day. But this was the most intense of all. It was the end of a long and agonizing life of pain and limitations. He started crying and laughing uncontrollably and had to take many deep breaths to gain his composure back. When he finally showed the first signs of calming down, the Dark One spoke.

"Today I want you to clean the hall staircase. Scrub it until it shines." She ordered, ignoring the puddle of emotions standing in front of her. Rumpelstiltskin managed to mumble a _yes, m'lady_ between his deep breath intakes, picked up the tray with the tea set and exited the room still laughing and sobbing.

The Dark One sat back, looking amused. She had acquired quite a curious slave this time. And she had a feeling he would amuse her many more times.

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**My Dark Belle will be a balance between the constant daily sadistic torture freak of some stories and the overly sweet and caring and lovely Dark Belle (which is totally deprived of any Darkness) of other stories. She is consumed by the evil entity that brings out all that's bad in a person. So violence and cruelty will be _one_ of her facets. But, she will use violence when provoked and not just like she feels like it (even if it is in fact unreasonable from her). It is my intention in, within time, to make her good side (timidly) come above.**

**So, what do you think? And did you enjoy the chapter? Let me know.**

**Review ;)**


	3. Hard Day of Chores

**Thank you all for your great reviews, some of you really took the time to give me your insight and I really valorize it. I'm glad to say that most of your comments do match my way of thinking so probably you will not be disappointed with this stories development: thedoctorsgirl42, RoxyMoron, Eyes like Dawn, The Prince's Phoenix, juju0268, anon, Cande, NicoleMuenchSeidel, Ladii Emelia, maizeblue7, ilon and the last, but not least, cat4444**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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The Dark One sat on a comfy couch, between its pillows, with a book on her lap. This was her favorite place in the castle, where she would spend hours of leisure, reading an exciting book, warmed by the hearth's flames. She smiled, still amused at the spontaneous reaction of her new slave when she had healed his wound. It had been quite a funny sight. She realized, in the few hours he was in her castle, he already made her curious. She wanted to know more about his life, like she always wanted to know everything. And there was plenty of time for that. Forever was a long time.

She sat a while, staring at the dancing flames and frowned. The man surely had already started with today's chores. She strained her magical hears and could hear the faint sound of water splashing and scrubbing. Her frown deepened. Why wasn't she hearing sobs? Surely his laughing fit had stopped by now and he must have remembered meanwhile where he was. He must have remembered he was separated of his beloved one forever. She concentrated a while, expecting to hear the familiar faint sound of crying she always heard the first day a slave came in. But nothing. She sighed somehow irritated. The crying would come, sooner or later. She shifted softly to a more comfortable position and opened her book, slowly entering a new world and forgetting her slave.

…

Rumpelstiltskin scrubbed until his hands were blistered, his knees bled and his back ached. He concentrated all his thoughts and energy in the continuous and monotone movement of the brush on the gray floor. Well, soon he discovered the floor was actually white. The hall staircase had about three hundred steps and was made out of classical white marble. It was a horrible and extenuating work, but it kept his mind distracted from the recent events. He tried to send all thoughts about his son away. Every time he wondered what the boy was doing, the realization he would never see him again stroke with all its might. He didn't cry. He forced himself not to cry. This was his choice, and however it was a difficult one to accept, he didn't regret it. As long as his son lived. And so he scrubbed and scrubbed.

Somewhere in the castle, coming from an unknown source, a clock announced the hours that passed by. When Rumpesltiltskin heard the twelve bells, he got up. He groaned painfully. His whole body was stiff from being in the same position during hours. He sighed beaten when he saw he had only been able to scrub a fifteenth of the staircase. Even if he worked the whole afternoon, he would never finish his task today. He felt apprehensive and hoped the Dark One wouldn't come to check the little progress. It was harder work than it looked. And he had his hands to prove it well. Not that he thought the Dark One would care. Until now, she had been kind to her extend, but he knew it would not last forever. He had no illusions. He knew the tales. He grew up with the stories of mindless torture and pleasure the Dark One took in seeing others suffering.

He headed to the kitchen and knew lunch would be a disaster. If there was a prize for the world worst cook, he certainly would win it. He always asked himself how Baelfire could eat his meals without complaint. He shook away his thoughts about Baelfire, already wondering if the boy was able to eat something today. He could already feel his eyes prick and a lump form in his throat. So he distracted himself by checking the shelves and deciding what was safe enough to cook.

…

The Dark One was interrupted from her reading by the sound of doors opening followed by footsteps announcing somebody had entered the room. She saw her new slave enter with a tray of food and got up to sit on the head of the table. The Dark One studied the face of the man trying to see any remains of tears. His eyes were normal and dry and not red and puffy as she desired. She frowned upset. The crying would come. Sooner or later. She continued studying him, this time more closely. Slowly, important details were revealed to her. His face looked neutral and blank. But she could see it was a mask to cover up his real sadness. His eyes were too expressive and denounced his true feelings. She could read the melancholy in them and smiled more satisfied. Then her eyes lowered to the hands. He carefully passed food from a small pan to a plate with a spoon. His movements were slow and restrained. He didn't tremble anymore, like during the morning. And yet, his hands must hurt terribly. They were bandaged with a soft cloth he probably found in the kitchen and she could see the raw redness from the opened blisters on the fingers. Her satisfied smile widened.

Once the food was served, the Dark One took a spoon of it. She tasted it and silently placed the spoon back on the plate. She wiped her mouth and rested her hands on her lap. She stared sternly at the slave. Just like this morning, he stood with his head down submissively, his hair hanging on front of his face, hiding the terror he was feeling. The Dark One could sense the tension and fear emanating from the man's body.

"Are you trying to poison me?" She asked in a low voice, but Rumpelstiltskin could hear the anger concealed in it.

"No, m'lady."

"Did you try it?" Her voice was this time louder and clearly irritated.

"Yes, m'lady."

"And you think its taste is fitting?" She spoke with a sneer, slowly lifting herself from the table.

"No, m'lady."

"So why did you serve it?" She yelled, her cold voice echoing in the walls. Rumpelstiltskin shuddered and closed his eyes, expecting the worse to come.

"I-I'm an awful cook, m'lady. I always have been." His voice was almost too low to hear. The Dark One took a deep breath of fury.

"Then I suggest you learn to cook properly!" She screamed and all the service on the table flew to the other point of the room. Rumpelstiltskin stared shocked at the broken ceramic and food spread on the floor. He could hear her breathing fire next to him. "Do you have more of this crap in the kitchen?" The man nodded fearfully. "Then you can eat it yourself after you cleaned up that mess!"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't waste a moment. He quickly picked up the broken pieces of ceramic, picked up the pan and what was still left of its food inside of it. He quickly ran to the cleaning room and in no time, he was scrubbing the stains off the carpet. When he was finished, he froze, realizing the Dark One was standing right next to him. He dared not to move, remaining with his hands and knees on the floor. He suppressed a scream of pain when she stepped on his right hand. He finally released the painful yell after she rubbed her shoe on his already injured hand. She took her foot away and Rumpelstiltskin sighed of relieve, but it was only short-lived. The Dark One grasped his head by his hair and drew it back with such force, so he was strained to remain knelled. As she pushed his head back, he released several cries of pain.

"Now, listen to me carefully, _slave_." The last word spoken with extra venom. "You'll continue serving my meals. If I am not pleased; you will take it away and eat it up yourself. But only after you watch me eat a succulent plate I'll summon for myself. Do you understand?" She threateningly whispered in his ear, pushing him so hard, his back was arched into almost and impossible angle. Should she push him a little bit further, his back would certainly crack.

"Yes! I do!"

"Good. Now get out of my sight. I don't want to see you again until tea time." She dropped him so suddenly, he fell back with his hands on the floor, almost knocking with his head on it. He quickly got up and scrammed his way out of the room, not daring to look at the angry woman.

…

Rumpelstiltskin scrubbed with a renewed energy. He scrubbed so hard, the opened blisters started bleeding. Each time he put his hands in the bucket with water and soap, thousands of little stings would pierce his skin. Yet, he continued scrubbing, ignoring the pain. He would not cry. He would not succumb to his weaknesses. He didn't regret his choice. Anything was preferable than his boy's death. A bit of pain or scolding was a small sacrifice. He had been so terrified of the Dark One's fury, he had no stomach to eat. And yet he considered himself lucky. He was certain this was but a small taste of her true capacities in torture. As soon as he left the room, he returned to the scrubbing, working more vigorously, with more energy, breaking the thin skin off his hands. It was his way of channelizing his fears, his sorrows, his frustrations. The physical pain eased the internal one and by the time the clock stroke four, he had cleaned another fifteenth of the staircase. Ignoring the general stiffness of his body, he went to the kitchen to prepare the tea. At least that was something he was excellent at and hopefully, the Dark One would be more pleased this time. He wrapped his injured hands and bit his lips from pain. They would infect, that was evident enough.

The Dark One drank her tea happily, her anger from earlier completely vanished. She drank in silence while she stared curiously at the slave. It was clear he created the habit to wait silently till she was finished, standing by the table in his passive posture. And it contented her. Most slaves would ask if they could leave the room, desperate to be away of her at all times, but this man was obviously too scared to ask her and too devoted to let himself be tempted by his own impulses. It also gave her pleasure to see the way his hands were destroyed. The following hours would certainly be torturous. She smiled wickedly.

…

The hours passed slowly by. Rumpelstiltskin felt sick. He had eaten nothing since the day before but dared not to interrupt his work to get a snack. Last thing he wanted was to disobey the Dark One unknowingly and be punished for it. While earlier in the afternoon he had worked with an unnatural willingness, now he barely could scrub. His hands hurt too much, all his bones and muscles complained from the aching. He was sure he didn't even manage to do half of what he had done the first part of the afternoon. He wondered how he'd do it tomorrow. By this rate, tomorrow he would not have any hands to work with. The clock struck seven. He cursed internally. He had to cook diner. He knew he would fail disgracefully again. He knew the Dark One was aware of it too. He realized this was nothing but a game, an amusement for her. After all, if she claimed she could summon delicious food, why make him cook?

Rumpelstiltskin entered the room, barely having strength to hold the tray. It had been horrible to cook with his injured hands. Stretching and closing his fingers had become almost an impossible action. He placed the tray on the table and looked around surprised. She was not in the room. Could it be she had changed her mind about diner? When he was about to leave the division with the tray of food, a purple smoke appeared on the other side of the table.

"Is that soup so bad that you are already trying to escape?" She asked mockingly. She sat down, smiling at the man's silence, while he poured some hot soup on the place. The color and smell told her enough, still she tasted it. "Ugh, you are truly a horrendous cook!" She said while she made a face. "Is it even possible to cook this badly without it being on purpose?" She was mean but pleased with the hurt expression on the man's face. She was certain he had tried his best and her words were certainly humiliating him. She pushed the plate further on the table. "Let me show you how it's supposed to be."

At that moment a purple smoke appeared on the table, and once it vanished, a new plate was presented with a soup looking quite delicious. The smell was at least superb. As promised, the Dark One ate her summoned food, making small moans of pleasure as she ate it, taunting the slave. She suppressed a giggle when she heard his stomach grumble. She looked at his face, under his hair. His eyes were closed, with a deep frown. She knew he was struggling to be strong. Rumpelstiltskin remained still, his nails pressed against the raw flesh of his bloody hands. He felt humiliated, he felt worthless, he felt hungry and he felt tired. Yet, he would let nothing transpire. This was the price he had chosen pay. A lifetime of physical and emotional pain.

_No price is too high. _

"Slave." The Dark One called him and he stared at her expressionless. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Rumpelstiltskin."

"My goodness. Your parents must have thought it was quite a joke." She said sincerely, not able to remember knowing anybody with such a long and strange name. "I'll call you Rumpel. Is that okay?" She casually asked and the man stared at her incredulous. She had actually asked if he minded how she called him.

"That is what people usually call me." He replied, confusion present in his voice.

"Good. Rumpel. Since it's already dark, it no makes no sense for you to work further on the staircase. You can continue tomorrow." Rumpelstiltskin suppressed a sigh of relieve. At least she hadn't expected him to finish today. "Go eat your marvelous food and have some rest. I want to see you in my room at half past ten."

Rumpelstiltskin widened his eyes at the last order. He had completely forgotten. He listened as she explained him the directions to her room and then dismissed him. He returned a bit startled to the kitchen. The thoughts were still whirling around in his head while he sat down and tended his wounds. Afterwards he ate his supper, not being to contain his grumbling stomach anymore. He didn't think his food was that bad, and ended up eating lunch and dinner at the same time. He felt exhausted. His whole body was aching. And the prospects of bedding this woman tonight did not really appeal him.

It was becoming a high price.

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**So stikking to my not mindless torture saditic Belle and to a more, watch out you may be asking for trouble Dark One. Pleased that you agree with me.**

**It was the scene Rumpelstitlskin serves Zoso (disguised as begger) a plate with some odd white spongy wet food. I have no idea what it was, but it trully looked disgusting. So I kind of came to the conclusion he's not a good cook. After all, we see in "the return" that poor mute serve him and Bae a tasty looking stew (obviously cooked by her) and Belle is also tasked to cook for him when she comes to the Dark Castle. Just my own assupmtion.**

**Please review ;)**


	4. Lover's Night

**Thank you for your reviews: juju0268, Eyes like Dawn, The Prince's Phoenix, Ladii Emelia, Grace5231973, Tamha, thedoctorsgirl42, BookFinder, saiyukij**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Rumpelstiltskin stood in front of the closed door that gave access to the Dark One's private chambers. He felt uncomfortably nervous, his belly starting to hurt insanely, his heart pounding unhealthy. He knew there was no escape. He may as well get on with it. So he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He heard the female voice call him to come in. Rather carefully, he opened the door and stood half way on the opening. He couldn't help feeling he was intruding. This was her bedroom after all. How more private was it possible to be?

"Come in. I won't bite." Her voice was teasing in a relaxed manner and Rumpelstiltskin obeyed.

He gently closed the door behind him and took a few steps to look around. It was a large division, but the red and golden curtains, the dark wooded furniture and the fireplace made it feel comfy. His eyes spotted the bed. It was king-sized and had beautiful draperies with the same autumn colors of the curtains. Rumpelstiltskin gulped nervously. He finally rested his gaze on the Dark One. She was comfortably nestled on a large couch by the fireplace, combing her long silky hair. He watched her for a while fascinated. She looked absolutely lovely under the plays of yellow glows and shadows. The scene was so intimate, for moments he truly believed she was a woman and nothing else.

"Take a bath first." She said without facing him, never stopping with her combing. "The bathroom is on your left."

Rumpelstiltskin was not the least surprised with the request, since he had worked all day. He knew she wouldn't want to be touched by someone smelling sweat and dust. He was actually glad and longed to wash himself after such a long day. He entered the bathroom and was marveled with what he saw. There was a bathtub filled with warm water, the steam visible in the air. He chuckled because it was large enough to contain three people in it. He quickly undressed himself and entered the tub, welcoming the warmth of its water. He closed his eyes and let a small sigh of pleasure escape. The warmth was doing wonders to his sore muscles and cold bones. He sat a while quietly in the water, savoring the relaxation it proportioned.

"Is it to your liking?" Rumpelstiltskin startled and almost jumped in the tub. The Dark One giggled when she saw how shocked he looked and attempted to hide some of his nudity. "Oh, relax. It's not like I'm not going to see you naked later on."

Rumpelstiltskin stared still a bit bewildered, wondering if she ever had heard about privacy, but ended up sinking back into the water, trying to drown his embarrassment. His eyes followed her suspiciously while she walked to the sink nearby and picked up a small towel. She came back and sat next to the tub. She wet the towel and let the warm water spill on his head, wetting his hair. Rumpelstiltskin flinched.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. Let me wash your head." She said half giggling.

Rumpelstiltskin felt more confused by the second, not understanding any of her kindness. He had no choice but to accept her actions and allow her to do whatever she wanted with him. She carefully wet his head, avoiding water going into his eyes and stroke gently from top to shoulders. It actually felt nice and he closed his eyes with a relaxed sigh. He missed the soft smile on the Dark One's lips, making her look quite human. By the time she finished washing his head, he was completely relaxed. She put the small towel away and placed her fingertips on his shoulders. She felt him give a small jump and hushed softly on his ear. She started rubbing the muscles around his shoulders, loosening the tension accumulated by hours of scrubbing. Rumpelstilskin rolled his eyes back from pleasure and when her fingers dug deeper in his skin, he released a moan.

"Gods, where did you learn to do this?" His voice was strangled, her skilled fingers releasing all his stress points on his back.

"I too was once married. Long ago." She whispered. Rumpelstiltskin let another groan escape, as she deepened the pressure of her fingers around his neck.

"What happened to him?"

"He died." The massaging stopped and he looked at the face of the Dark One. Her face was inches apart from his, their noses almost touching, her iris dilated. He gulped. _Probably shouldn't have asked that. _"Your hands." She said with a little bit harshness in her voice. Rumpelstiltskin took his hands out of the water apprehensively. She held them on hers and soon they were engulfed by the same strange blue glow she used to heal his leg. He watched the skin of his hands heal completely and stared at them amazed. The Dark One stood up, looking satisfied with the results.

"Wash yourself up and come to bed."

As soon as she exited the bathroom, Rumpelstiltskin sighed, the nerves returning. With a pounding heart, he quickly washed himself up, dried his skin and hair and dressed the robe he assumed was for him. Taking a deep breath, he ventured the room. It was darker than when he entered first. The fire in the hearth was still burning and some candles kept the room illuminated with a dim but pleasant light. The Dark One was sitting on the edge on her bed, dressed on a silky white nightgown that complimented her womanly curves. Rumpelstilstkin swallowed dry. He had to admit it. She was absolutely stunning. She gestured him to sit next to her. He obeyed, never leaving his eyes from her. He decided letting her lead and have all control was the safest attitude he could take. Anything to avoid upsetting her.

There was a moment of stillness, as they locked their gazes while they were seated next to each other. Then she took the first move, put her hand on his cheek and kissed him. He didn't expect her to act so gentle and softly kissed her back. The kiss was sweet and gentle and his mind refused to believe this was the monster from the countless tales he had heard since childhood. The kiss developed and became deeper. Soon, they tongues were exploring their mouths and Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but lose himself in the moment. At a certain point, he was kissing her as eagerly as she did and realized he had missed for too long the touch of a woman. And so he reacted willingly to her gentle advances.

Her hands searched his warm skin under the robe and he let out a small gasp at the touch. The Dark One smiled for a fraction of a second and continued kissing eagerly, while her hands explored his body. Her fingertips caressed his back, drew circles on his chest and slowly travelled down. Rumpelstiltskin let a strangled moan escape when her hand found his member. She smiled satisfied at his hardness and the look of fire in his eyes. She rubbed it a while, relishing his faster and deeper breathing. With her other free hand she guided his hand and placed it on her breast. He released a small moan at the touch and caressed her gently.

"Touch me. Touch me like you touched your wife." The Dark One uttered between her intakes of breath.

Her request seemed to trigger something in Rumpelstiltskin and he kissed her passionately, leaning over her, so she lay on her back. Her hands grasped the bed sheets and her breathing fastened as his lips planted soft kisses under her chin and collarbone. One hand was still caressing her breast, while the other travelled up and down her body, drawing the contours of her figure, like a sculptor. The Dark One closed her eyes, pleasure building up during the foreplay. She felt him pull down the fabric of her nightgown and his mouth found her breast. She released soft moans, as his tongue and teeth played first with one nipple, then with the other. He sucked her breast one after the other, gently then hungrily, driving her crazy with the sensations. He then pulled her dress up and planted small kisses on her belly, his hands never leaving her breasts. The Dark One was becoming overwhelmed by the pleasure, panting and moaning, her body already prepared to take his. She pulled off her nightgown over her head, so she lay completely naked under him.

"Take it off." She whispered, incentivizing him to undress his robe too.

She guided him to turn, so he was now the one laying on his back. She got into position and allowed his hardened body enter hers. Both moaned of pleasure at the warm feeling. She moved on top of him, leading a mad dance that went from slow to fast and back to slow. Rumpelstiltskin had to do his best not to trust too fast inside of her, afraid to come too soon, to come before her. It took him all the little mind control he had still left, but it was difficult. This woman was the most beautiful and erotic sight he ever had seen. She had her head thrown backwards and her body arched sensually. Her gentle but passionate moans were driving him crazy, not to mention the way she moved on top of him. He was holding back his pressure so badly he thought he would die. But should he die then, he would die a happy man. He had had few women before Milah and none were as passionate as the Dark One. He couldn't remember ever feeling this amount of pleasure with his wife. He groaned and grunted as he could feel the tension on his body pressuring him for release, but he had to hold it back, just for a while longer. She was already moving frantically on top of him and he felt her body contract around his member. Her moans were loud as her body trembled, while he pounded inside of her madly, losing all control over himself. Her legs widened suddenly, a loud pleasurable scream was released while she reached her climax. He trusted hard a few times more and reached his own orgasm with an animalistic grunt.

Exhausted, the Dark One collapsed and laid a while on top of his body. Rumpelstiltskin automatically put an arm around her and she drew closer to his chest. They remained a long while like this, panting fast, listening to each other's heart beating rapidly. When their breathing finally slowed down, the Dark One lifted her head to see the face of her slave and lover.

"Not rusty at all." She said truly satisfied and for the first time, a sincere smile was reattributed. She kissed him a few times more and sighed, obviously not contented with what she was about to say. "You cannot stay here. Time to go to your own room."

She got up, not missing the slight look of disappointment in his eyes. But she knew she had to draw clear lines in their relationship of mistress and slave. She entered the bathroom to clean herself, while he dressed himself in his old clothes. Soon they were both climbing down dark stairways and Rumpelstiltskin was gaining a bad feeling. They walked pass the kitchen and took more steps down until he was sure they had reached some sort of basement. The Dark One directed him to one of the doors. His suspicions were confirmed.

"My room?"

"Well, it sounds a lot nicer than dungeon." She giggled while she closed the door behind him and left the place.

Rumpelstiltskin put his arms around him. It was chilly. The stone walls were humid and naked. There was some straw on the floor and a small wooden bench. He looked up and saw a small window on the top of the room. He placed the straw on the wooden plank and curled himself in its corner, trying to keep warm. He was exhausted, but his mind was full. He lived in one day so many events, it felt like weeks had already passed by. He saved his son's life to lose him all the same. He made a deal with the most dangerous and powerful creature of the realm, whom he was convinced now, was as human as he was. He had spend mindless hours with a ridiculously tiring and fruitless chore, escaped the Dark One's true wrath and had the most amazing and exciting night he ever shared with a woman. His leg, his greatest burden in life, was healed. His hands were healed, but he knew tomorrow they would become as injured as they were today. Rumpelstiltskin had a feeling his new life would be filled with these confusing contradictions.

Somewhere in the mist of his chaotic thoughts, he finally fell asleep.

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**So...what you think about this chapter/story?**

**Review ;)**


	5. Two and a Half Weeks

**Thank you: juju0268, NicoleMuenchSeidel, Ladii Emelia, Grace5231973, thedoctorsgirl42, Eyes like Dawn**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Two weeks and a half had gone by. A clear routine had been created between mistress and slave. Every morning early, Rumpelstiltskin would wake up to find the dungeon door opened. He had no idea what time it opened itself. He assumed it opened magically, just like at night, when he descended to the dungeons alone, the door would shut itself behind him. He had an irregular sleep, waking up several times during the night from cold, stiffness and nightmares, but never did he wake up to witness the exact moment the door opened. Every day he would get up, feeling relieved to leave the dungeons, but apprehensive to the daily tasks that awaited him.

First thing Rumpelstiltskin would always do was head to the kitchen and lit the small fireplace to warm himself up. Every morning he would find fresh bread and season fruit in the shelves, never quite understanding where they came from. He knew later on he would find fresh meat or fish and vegetables for lunch and dinner. He suspected the kitchen somehow guessed what he had in mind to cook, since he usually found the ingredients for the recipe he would be pondering to make.

Breakfast was always served at eight and it was the only meal the Dark One dismissed her slave´s presence, only after she instructed him the daily chores. At ten he would bring the tea. At one listen to her insults about his cooking skills, while she ate a delicious plate. At four he would bring tea again and finally at eight she would dinner and he would be ridiculed for the second time of the day. And of course, he would tend to the daily chores between the meals. Every night, the Dark One requested his services in bed. Like their first night together, she would wash his head and massage him while he bathed and afterwards they had wild passionate sex.

The days the Dark One didn't have to attend a call from a desperate soul, she would spend her mornings in leisure and lose herself in the adventures of a book and in the afternoon; she would work in her potions room, deepening her knowledge in magic, trying experimentations and creating spells and potions.

Rumpelstiltskin avoided the Dark One as much as possible. He concluded the less interaction, the less chance he had in upsetting her, which was truly his greatest fear. This was the reason he never talked unless spoken to and swallowed the many questions that burned in his head about her past, about the castle, about magic. He always obeyed her and spent the days scrubbing, cleaning, washing and dusting. By the end of the day, there was always some part of his body injured, which the Dark One fortunately always healed.

The Dark One, on the other hand, became more and more mystified by her new slave. She had thought the crying would come. But it never came. Many times, she watched Rumpelstiltskin without him noticing her. When he was alone and unguarded, he moved and acted lifelessly. He looked more like a zombie than an actual living person. His expression was always a tired one and the look in his eyes was of pure melancholy. He was clearly living a depression and let his miserable soul dwell in the darkness of his anguish. Yet, never a tear escaped his eyes. The Dark One started to wonder if the man was even capable of crying.

She often wondered what he thought about her. She knew he avoided her at all costs, which was a wise choice. But she also knew he was fascinated by her. That she could see in his eyes while they shared their most intimate moments together in her bedroom, or when she caught a fleeting glance while she ate. The little interaction she had with him frustrated her. The Dark One had come to learn Rumpelstiltskin as a calm, passive and reserved person, but with a fire that seemed to explode when they were in bed. She wanted to know more about the silent man. She wanted to know who he was as a man, as a father, as a husband, as a lover.

Two weeks and a half had passed by. The skies were cloudy and the temperatures decreased by the day. Autumn was at its peak, announcing a cold winter. Rumpelstiltskin had finally finished cleaning a room full of old tapestries and copper objects and entered the following chamber in his list of tasks. He groaned upset, this room being larger, fuller and more chaotic than the previous one. He put his hands on the head, hopelessly trying to figure out where to start. After a while pondering, he decided to separate large objects to one side and small objects to the other, so he the furniture was free and he could see better what he was cleaning. He was busy with the sorting of objects when he stumbled into a very familiar one. For moments he held his breath, not believing the Dark One had a spinning wheel in the middle of this chaos. It was under a thick layer of dust, but he could see the wood was still shinning and it was a magnificent spinning wheel.

He slowly approached it, feeling like he was in some kind of a strange dream. He had forgotten how badly he missed spinning. Since the day he made the deal, he forced his mind to focus on the chores, always pushing away any thought of home. With a trembling hand, he made the wheel turn. Once, twice. He watched captivated as the wheel spun and his memories were brought back home. Days when he sat in his poor, but homely house, spinning while his son chatted with him or slept peacefully in his bed. As he spun the wheel, he saw the image of his boy learning to handle the wool and transform it into a delicate dread. As he spun the wheel, he was back home teaching Bae their family trade. Before he knew it, tears were cascading down his face. He had tried so hard during two weeks and a half not to think about home. Not to think about Bae. Because the thought he would never see his son again was so painful, he knew he could not bear it. But the spinning wheel brought back the memories of a lost son, a child forced to grow up in his own. A son his father left because of a deal. One he forced himself to believe he did not regret. And so, Rumpelstiltskin finally let all the accumulated and suppressed emotions come out, sobbing miserably on top of the spinning wheel, crying helplessly like the pained father he was.

Downstairs the Dark One lifted her head. She was reading a most exciting chapter, the villain was about to reveal his hideous plan to defeat the hero, when her ear caught a familiar sound. It was low at first, almost too soft to discern, but she knew for sure. Then it became louder, desperate and uncontrollable. She smiled cruelly. She knew the crying would come. And it did arrive. With such a brutal force, she knew her slave wouldn't be able to do anything else during this day. She closed her eyes as she savored the sad sound. It was music to her ears.

…

It was way past one o'clock. The Dark One stat on the head of the table, her fingers drumming the wood impatiently. He never was late with lunch. Only ten minutes must have gone by, but it felt already like hours. So the Dark One stood up and headed to kitchen, with an ugly frown on her face, ready to scorn the slave. She was surprised to see the kitchen empty and unattended. She felt immediately her blood boil up. If he thought he could simply give into his misery and ignore his chores, he was very wrong. She searched the rooms she had tasked him to clean and quickly found him in the chaotic chamber. Rumpelstilstik was standing quietly in front of the window, his arms crossed. His expression was one of sadness and defeat and his eyes were lost in the vastness of the free world that was denied to him. He didn't hear her arrive. The Dark One made a noise like cleaning the throat. He blinked and slowly turned to look at the source of the sound. He looked at her with a strange expression, like if he didn't quite know who she was, like if he didn't recognize her. Then his eyes became clearer and fear engulfed them when he saw the rage built up in his mistress' face.

"Do you know what time it is?" She darkly spoke, her anger suppressed in a threatening low tone. Rumpelstiltskin shook his head slowly. "It's way past one!" There was a heavy silence. The Dark One looked dangerous and Rumpelstiltskin stared at her a bit lost.

"I'm sorry. I must have lost track of time."

"Sorry is not enough! You disobeyed me! You disregarded your tasks! Is it so difficult to keep track with time?" She screamed in a scolding manner.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I didn't do it purpose!" Rumpelstiltskin desperately tried to defend himself. He was telling her the truth. What more was it she wanted?

"But you did! And you shall be punished for your neglecting!"

"Oh, for goodness sake, have some humanity! I always do what you want! This is the first time I made a small slip. It's not like you were really going to eat the lunch I'd cook anyway!"

Rumpelstiltskin's words came like a punch. How dared he talk to her that way, in that tone? How dared he even to confront her? His defiant attitude fueled her anger and the Dark One stretched her arm. The man flew like a rag doll with a force against the wall, crashing on the untidy objects. He groaned of pain. He saw the Dark One pace ferociously in his direction and tried to crawl his way out. Again she made him fly, this time out of the room, and he landed hard on the ground. He yelled as he fell on his left hand and heard the sound of bones cracking.

"To the dungeons!"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't wait for a second order and hurried away in panic. In his mind he had done nothing wrong, it was unfair and it was needless of her to have such an overreaction. But then, he had known from stories the Dark One never showed any kind of mercy or understanding. As he rushed down the stairs he realized he had let his guard down and believed she somehow wouldn't hurt him because he always followed and respected all rules. Because he had fallen in the illusion she was not really the monster of the tales, but a woman, with the same needs as any human being. She had shown him kindness and he had focused too much in that, forgetting the real monster she was. He suddenly halted. He had reached the main hallway and saw the large doors that gave access to outside. The doors that gave access to freedom. He knew it was a stupid decision. He knew he would regret it later on. But still he went to the doors. Every cell in his body screamed at him to run away. His most basic instincts of survival told him to escape. And so he opened a small breach, just enough to fit between the heavy doors and started his run. He ran as fast as his lean legs allowed. He ran on the main path across the garden with naked trees. He ran until his lungs couldn't give another breath. He ran until he reached the tall dark gates. Suddenly he stopped. He was panting terribly. He stared wide eyed at the tall gates. Should he open them and slip between them, he would be a free man.

He gulped. He knew better. Rumpesltilskin sat on the cold ground, staring at the gates, still panting fast. Tears were already running down his face. Should he slip through the gate, he would break his part of the deal and then Baelfire would be the one to pay the price. He stared at the free world behind the gate, so close and so far away. He could never do such a thing to his son. He could never betray him. And so, for the second time of the day, he cried in agony. For two weeks and a half he had pushed the reality away. He had refused to think about the consequences of his deal with the Dark One. He had forced al thoughts away about permanency. But deep down, he had always known this was the way things were. He had known that from the moment he struck the deal. But he had ignored it, rejected it. The fact that it was forever. That he would never see his son grow up. Never see him become a man, fall in love, marry and have children of his own. He had banished himself from his own son's live. And now he was paying the price for his choice.

He didn't know how long he remained outside, but he noticed the sun lower itself in the sky. He travelled back to the castle, knowing a very angry and dangerous Dark One would be waiting for him. And he was right. As soon as he entered through the large doors, he saw her. She was standing in the middle of the hall. She looked terrifying, her eyes almost black from anger.

"Did you truly believe you could run away from me?"Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, tears slipping out his eyes from pure terror. He knew she would torture him. Perhaps she would kill him. But not without pain. "Yes, that's true, _slave_. You can never leave the Dark Castle! And you know why, don't you? DON'T YOU?" She screamed, making the small man shiver and shrink from fear.

"Y-yes." He managed to mumble.

"WHY?"

"B-Baelfire…He would pay the price of my infraction"

"Quite correct." She said with a wicked grin.

An invisible force grabbed Rumpelstilstskin's neck and lifted him in the air. He vainly tried to grasp the invisible hand strangling him, his feet shooting in the air. "Your son would die." The invisible fingers pressured and he could not breathe. His face was becoming purple; the veins in his eyes broke. "Your sweet little son would die a slow agonizing death." Rumpelstiltskin's feet kicked in the air, his body giving one last try for survival. One more second and life would had expired from his lungs, but in that crucial second, the invisible fingers opened themselves and he fell on the hard floor with a loud gasp. He laid on the floor, contorted and coughing, taking precious air back to his lungs. He saw her shadow advance and crawled uselessly until he hit the wall. She kicked him in his stomach. She kicked with such a brutal force, Rumpelstiltskin was too startled to scream. She kicked again. And again. And again. He screamed of pain as his ribs cracked, as his skin broke. His face and arms were under blood, as he tried in vain to protect himself from the violent blows. But eventually it stopped.

"To the dungeons." He heard the shaky voice of his mistress. "NOW!"

The Dark one looked at the miserable slave with madness and a triumphant look in her sadistic eyes. She was still relishing the intensity of her punches and watched with a disturbing pleasure Rumpelstiltskin get up with difficulty. He supported himself with one hand on the wall, his other was placed under his ribcage. He limbed with pain, but slowly walked away, panting and coughing. This time he obeyed. This time he went to the dungeons. And as the door magically locked him up, he collapsed on the floor unconscious, not containing the pain any longer.

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**So, what are your thoughts?**

**Please review **


	6. Changes

**AU: Here a short clarification of the Dark Belle I'm trying to create:**

**She is consumed by the evil entity that brings out all that's bad in a person. Violence and cruelty will be ****_one_**** of her facets, but she will not use it without a reason. Belle sent Rumpelstiltskin first to the dungeons, but had not the intention to do him any harm further. When he said "****_Have some humanity_" h**e provoked her, so she sent him away for some time out. Rumpelstiltskin's fatal choice is when he chooses to run away (although he changes his mind, realizing the consequences it will have for Baelfire). Belle was already displeased with him forgetting lunch and throwing those words ("Have some humanity") and when he ran to the gates, that was for her the last drop. Belle used violence because of the evil that resides in her and makes her the Dark One, but also with the intention of making clear who's the boss in Dark Castle, that she is the Mistress and he is the slave.

**I do not intent to make her a mindless sadistic Belle and above all, she has to slowly come out of the darkness to realize she has a good side.**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Another month had passed by and things changed very little. Well, there was one thing that was clearly changing and that was the castle. By each passing day, a new part of the castle would suffer an extreme makeover thanks to the magic of exhausting hours of cleaning, scrubbing and dusting. The main staircase, once grey, sad and desolated now shined in its splendor, the elegant stone having its true colors returned. Rooms that were for centuries forgotten under dust were now tidy, remodeled, and clean, becoming pleasant under a new light. The Dark Castle became each day a bit less dark and was turning more into a home.

Since the day of the incident, the one Rumpelstiltstkin so foolishly had tried to escape, things returned to their normal rhythm in the castle. The man never dared to miss a call of his mistress, behaving dutifully for her delight. He was not taking any risks in letting his emotions get the best of him, so he trained his mind to keep away any thought of home or sad feeling that could become distracting. But, the following weeks were like a period of grieving. Rumpelstiltskin continued doing his appointed chores diligently but in a permanent depressive state. The Dark One would wake up regularly in the middle of the night, with the soft crying coming from the dungeons. Those were the nights Rumpelstitlstkin would wake up from a horrible nightmare, where he tried to reach his son, but never was able to; or from wonderful dreams that took him back home. When he would wake up in the cold floor of his cell, realization it had been nothing but a dream made reality look even more despairing.

He had been upset with the Dark One during the first few days that followed the beating. He was still convinced she overreacted and her actions were unreasonable. But he never spoke his opinion out loud; afraid it would anger the oversensitive woman. He had woken up the following day with excruciating pains all over his body. One eye had swollen so badly, he could not open it. He had two broken fingers on his left hand and wished not to know how many ribs had cracked during the thrashing. All his muscles hurt and it was a strain to move. But it was this very pain that worked as a motivation to get to the kitchen and start breakfast. Anything to avoid the repetition of the previous day's events. The Dark One had been in a surprisingly good mood and Rumpelstiltskin wondered back then if she had started the morning with drunkenness. She healed all his broken bones and swore muscles, so he could see and move perfectly well again. Those were the things that confused him the most. She first beat the crap out of him to later on heal him, acting as both things were perfectly normal.

The Dark One had gotten used to the man's depressive mood and let him be, as long as he worked well. At least the melancholy vanished completely when they bedded, so it sufficed her. She had plenty going on in her head for now, having two major and complex projects in her hands. One was private and she shared her plans with no one; the other was a challenge Queen Regina had given her few years ago. Recent new developments in both projects required a lot of her time now. She spent her days with long hours of study of magic spells and the achieving of the needed ingredients, gained mainly in deals. She would only warn her slave about her absence if it took longer than a day. She often wondered what would go on in her slave's mind, during the days she was hours away and he would arrive with a meal in an empty room with no one to eat it. He always left the food behind and it became a habit for the Dark One to arrive hours later and find the food cold. The proof he had indeed cooked, and thus, obeyed her. She smiled, concluding he was a clever and cautious man.

It was in a particular chilly autumn morning with an uncharacteristic sunny weather, when something changed and this time it wasn't the castle's appearance. The Dark One was in deep concentration, leaning over one of her heavy volumes about dark magic, when she heard it for the first time. She thought first she had imagined it and continued reading. But then she heard it again. It would go on a while and then stopped again. She lifted her head curious and strained her ears. It was a soft humming. An ancient melody that caught her ears. The Dark One was impelled to leave her work behind and followed the sound to its source. She knew of course who was producing the humming. As she silently descended the stairs, a word or two would be discerned.

"…eyes…ocean…"

She finally reached the room where Rumpelstiltskin was working and stopped by the door entrance. He did not see her, as he stood with his back to her, dusting objects from a large shelve. She smiled surprised. Her slave was singing. Rumpelstiltskin didn't have the wonderful voice of a bard or a lyric singer. He kept his voice in a low level and sometimes his words became whispers. But it was pleasant to listen.

"_Then the mountain rose before me _

_By the deep well of desire_

_From the fountain of forgiveness_

_Beyond the ice and fire_"

He sang poetic words, followed by the melodic humming. Sometimes he would stop, distracted by an object that captured his attention. Right now, he had paused to examine a small statue representing a baby dragon coming out of its eggshell. He dusted it off, polished until it shone, turned it from side to side and smiled softly at the object, placing it back on the shelve. Then he would continue where he had stopped and the song would go on until he found another object that caught his curiosity.

"_Cast your eyes on the ocean_

_Cast your soul to the sea_

_When the dark night seems endless_

_Please remember m_e"

The Dark One stared amazed that her new founding. She listened to the song with fascination, as the slave worked unaware of her presence. She didn't know the lyrics, but the melody was very familiar and brought her memories of such a distant past, even she couldn't quite remember it. It stirred up emotions buried deep in her soul and she let out a small sniff. Rumpelstiltskin froze for a second and turned around. He jumped when he saw the Dark One standing right in front of him. But then he noticed something. Her eyes were watery.

"What happened, m'lady?" He asked concerned, while he wiped a tear away. She smiled, his spontaneous manners always surprising her in a kind manner.

"W-What were you singing?" She spoke, unable to keep her voice balanced. He frowned still stunned by her behavior.

"It's called Dante's Prayer."

"What is it about? The melody is…so familiar."

"It's about a man called Dante. His true love died and one night she visits him in a dream. When he wakes up he prays to her not to forget him in the afterlife, because he believes she's there waiting for him."

"I know the melody…I cannot remember where…when…" She spoke agitated, not understanding her own emotions. She sniffed again, feeling sad tremblers passing through her body.

"I won't sing it anymore."

"No! No, Rumpel. I want to hear it. I want to remember." She said, while she held his arms. He stared surprised for a moment and then nodded complied. The Dark One sat on a chair, rested her hands on her lap and stared at him expectantly. It was an awkward moment for Rumpelstiltkin. He never sung for anybody. He only sang soft lullabies for his son, when he was smaller. He cleared his throat nervously and started hesitantly.

"_When the dark wood fell before me_

_And all the paths were overgrown_

_When the priests of pride say there is no other way_

_I tilled the sorrows of stone_

_I did not believe because I could not see_

_Though you came to me in the night_

_When the dawn seemed forever lost_

_You showed me your love in the light of the stars_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean_

_Cast your soul to the sea_

_When the dark night seems endless_

_Please remember me_"

The Dark One closed her eyes and let her mind be drifted away by the beautiful words and the comforting voice. Rumpelstiltskin felt a bit more at ease and continued, his voice clearer, his tone close to a whisper.

"_Then the mountain rose before me_

_By the deep well of desire_

_From the fountain of forgiveness_

_Beyond the ice and fire_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean_

_Cast your soul to the sea_

_When the dark night seems endless_

_Please remember me_

_Though we share this humble path, alone_

_How fragile is the heart_

_Oh give these clay feet wings to fly_

_To touch the face of the stars_

_Breathe life into this feeble heart_

_Lift this mortal veil of fear_

_Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears_

_We'll rise above these earthly cares_

_Cast your eyes on the ocean_

_Cast your soul to the sea_

_When the dark night seems endless_

_Please remember me_

_Please remember me_"

Rumpelstiltskin silenced as the song ended. The Dark One still had her eyes closed, but tears were running down her face. Troubled by her behavior, he crouched opposite her and put her hands in his. She opened her eyes and was surprised with the concern and compassion she saw in his brown eyes. She smiled and released one of her hands to rest it on his cheek. None of the two dared to break the silence that engulfed them. None of the two dared to break their eye contact. None of the two had ever felt such an intimacy together, not even when they shared their passionate nights. But like everything in life, this moment too was fleeting. The Dark One was the first one to break it. Her hand traveled back to his and she looked to her lap.

"I remember." She uttered with a sad smile. "I remember this song." Rumpelstiltskin was staring at her with such expectancy that the Dark One chuckled. "My mother used to sing me this when I was a child, long time ago." She saw his eyes widen a bit at the revelation. "I didn't understand at the time and I guess and with the passing of years, I forgot what the words meant."

"But the melody remained." Rumpelstiltskin completed her thoughts and she nodded, sobbing softly.

"She was dying, Rumpel. She was dying of an incurable disease and every night she would sing this song before I slept. It was her prayer for me! And I forgot it! I forgot the words." The Dark One, who was now the child who had lost her mother prematurely, put her hands on her face and cried. Rumpelstiltskin instinctively held her in his arms and shushed her softly. They remained a while like this, till the Dark One gently pushed Rumpelstiltskin away. She chuckled between her sobs. "Who must think I'm silly. The great and powerful Dark One crying over her dead mother." Rumpelstiltskin was shocked by her self-image and spoke without thinking.

"Why would it be silly? You're still a woman, aren't you?" The Dark One looked at her slave stunned. Was this the way he saw her? She wasn't sure she liked it.

"I'm the Dark One. Evil and cruel and merciless."

"Yeah, I know." _First handed_, he thought "But that's just a part of you."

The Dark One bended her head slightly to the side and stared at him curiously. He was a strange man, nothing compared to the other slaves she had before. He seemed to be able to accept her dark side with such normality, that she wondered if he was sane at all. He intrigued her. She had not focused enough in learning him better and now, she suddenly wanted to. His look was so gentle, so kind, she didn't resist and gave a small and quick kiss on his lips. It was the first time they shared a kiss outside her bedroom and she smiled at his surprised face.

"Sing me some more." She suddenly asked, like a child assisting to a show.

"Is this a new chore? Really, mistress. I'm hardly adequate to sing!" He half joked, half complained for his mistress' amusement.

"You can sing while you're cleaning. Just like who were doing before. Pretend I'm not here."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled softly and complied. He got up again, grabbed the duster and picked an object. He stood silent a while, waiting for a song to pop in his head. When his mind caught a melody, he started dusting and the lyrics flowed out naturally.

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**Dante's Prayer is a song from Lorrenna Mackennit (the Book of Secrets) one of my favorite female voices and this song is defenitly my favorite, after years I still get goose bumps when I listen to it.**

**Please Review ;)**


	7. The Binding Spell

**Thank you for your reviews, comprehension and support to my views and enthusiasm for this story: Grace5231973, BookFinder, juju0268, Guest (extra thanks to you for actually defending me), thedoctorsgirl42, anon (welcome to the Loreena club), Ladii Emelia, LePetitErik.**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

"_Take me with you on this journey_

_Where the boundaries of time are now tossed_

_In cathedrals of the forest_

_In the words of the tongues now lost_

_Find the answers, ask the question_

_Find the roots on an ancient tree_

_Take me dancing, take me singing_

_I'll ride on till the moon meets the sea_"

"Where did you learn these songs?" The Dark One asked, while she lay lazily on a soft divan.

About a week had passed by since the day she found Rumpelstiltskin singing. Since then, every time she was in the castle and was ready with her work, she would linger around her slave to listen to the sound of his voice. He sung in her present at ease now, while he dusted, polished or tidied stuff. The Dark One truly enjoyed being around him, finding his company quite pleasant. She noticed he was a bit more at ease, smiled more often and even joked with her once and a while. There was now more space and opportunity for little chats and slowly the Dark One started to get to know her slave a bit better.

"When I was a little boy, my father always took me to the tavern, until my mother came to pick me up. The village's bard was there every evening. He used to sit by the fireplace singing. And I always sat near him because it was warm and because his music fascinated me. I guess after years of listening, I memorized all his songs."

There was a short silence, one that often existed among them. Not an awkward silence, but one both were comfortable with. The Dark One watched Rumpelstiltskin handle a glass vase with care and smiled at the manner his hands always worked skillfully. She could see the spinner on those hands. They were absent from impatience, brutality and display of strength. The hands of a spinner were patient, gentle, and careful but no less hard working than a farmer's. She watched his index trace the colorful lines on the vase, like if he was painting them. He did that often, when he found an object to his liking. He would trace the lines, follow the contours and drawings, like if the gesture would make him see better the object on his hand. It didn't take long for the Dark One to realize her slave had an eye for detail.

"Your father went every evening to the tavern, you said?"

"Yes, you know. It's normal for men to do that after a hard day's work." He said casually but the Dark One immediately sensed some tension.

"Yet, you didn't have that habit. Why is that?" Rumplestiltskin shrugged his shoulders. "Was your father a drunkard?" She asked innocently. Rumpeltskilskin glanced briefly at her, but the nervous look in his eyes told her enough. "Did he beat up when you were a boy?" She wondered out loud. The silence and the tension on his shoulders said it all. "Quite a miserable life you had, Rumpelstiltskin." She concluded. He smiled dryly. Even with silence she managed to get the truth out of him.

"Everybody has problems in their lives." He countered.

"Not everybody. There are those who always get what they want and live a life of constant blissfulness and happy endings."

"Well, those people tend to become self-centered and superficial." The Dark One had to smile a bit sardonically. There was one person she knew in her past that matched this profile perfectly well.

"Do you think of me as a self-centered and superficial?" She suddenly mused out loud, teasingly.

"You are self-centered, m'lady. But far from being superficial." He said with a knowing look.

The Dark One smiled amused. She enjoyed this kind of earnest honesty she was learning was typical from him.

…

It was a dark rainy day. The Dark One was frustrated by the miserable weather. It was cold and depressive and things weren't working the way she wanted in her potions room. After hours struggling in making a complex spell work, one she never tried before, she finally gave up. She decided to seek the company of her slave and sit by the fire listening to his songs and tales. She thought it was oddly quiet in the castle, while she strolled along the corridors, missing the sound of her slave singing or working, which seemed to bring life to the desolated building. The Dark One went to the room she appointed her slave to clean and soon found Rumpelstiltskin in a space full of old furniture, the old wood begging to be dusted and polished. Then she had a déjà vu. He was standing on front of the window, with his arms crossed and staring distantly at the rain outside. His gaze was lost and sad. After staring at this image for a little while, she entered the chamber making some sound, acknowledging her presence. He flinched and stood paralyzed for a few moments. He instantly became pale and she could see the fear appear in his eyes. She knew what he was thinking. She knew the circumstances were very similar to the day he forgot lunch. The day he had tried to escape. The day she had beaten him up mercilessly. He stood frozen on the spot looking like he was expecting a blow at any moment. Instead, the Dark One sat on one of the old chairs.

"I hate this weather." She finally said, ignoring the awkward feeling this déjà-vu was producing. Rumpelstiltskin almost let a sigh of relieve escape. His gaze went to the window and then back to her.

"It's not that bad. At least it's dry inside." He never stopped amazing her when it came into finding something positive in any situation. He turned to a large table and started polishing its surface.

"Do you regret?"

"Regret what, m'lady?"

"Coming here." Rumpelstiltskin halted the circular movements he was making on the table to think the question through and then proceeded with his work.

"No, m'lady. I chose to come here so my lad could live. And as long as I know he is fine, than I'm fine too."

"But you're not happy. You're not a free man anymore." Rumpelstiltskin interrupted again his movements, this time to look at the face of the Dark One. Her look was piercing, wise, ancient. She was trying him out.

"Happiness is relative, m'lady. In the end, we are the ones who have to make happiness happen." He returned to the polishing, the table's surface gradually becoming shinny. "As for freedom…" He chuckled. "There are many kinds of imprisonments, m'lady. Being poor and limp in a village where you are labeled coward is not necessarily a life of freedom." The Dark One's eyes shrunk a bit of appreciation. This was a man who learned a lot from his life experience, during his trials and difficulties. His short existence in earth had already taught him not to take anything from granted. And so, he faced life in a reflective and wise manner.

"You've lost your life."

"I've lived my life. I'm old and tired. But my boy…Heis young, full of dreams, with a whole life ahead. With so many things to discover…Besides, I have a new life here now."

"So you live with acceptance. How? How can you accept your situation so easily?"

"Oh no, m'lady. Not easy. I do miss him terribly. I think of him every day…And there are days that are harder than others. That's true. But…living here is not as bad as I first thought."

"Really?" Rumpelstiltskin could hear the Dark One didn't believe him. He finished polishing the long table and smiled proudly at it.

"I always try to find the beauty in things. It makes life a bit easier."

"And have you found beauty in the castle?" Rumpelstiltskin leaned, half sitting on the table and glanced briefly at his mistress. The hint didn't escape him.

"There are many beautiful things in the castle, m'lady." He whispered with his head slightly down.

He could feel his temperature rise and soon it would reach his cheeks. He had been feeling like this the last few days and was growing worried. He knew he had to be careful. He was falling for her. He was falling for a beautiful woman who had showed kindness, but he knew there was plenty of evil in her too. He knew how cruel and dangerous she could be. Rumpelstiltskin lifted his eyes slightly when he sensed the Dark One get up from her chair and walk to him. The Dark One traced her index on his cheek and lifted his chin so she could read his eyes. She smiled. She had him exactly where she wanted. Her index drew the line of his lips and then she kissed him softly. She gently moved her body closer to his, their arms wrapping around their backs, enjoying the sweetness of the moment. But soon their kisses evolved from gentle to hungry and their hands were struggling in opening each other's clothes. Buttons and laces stood in the way, causing frustrated grunts, followed by giggles. They ended by ripping each other's clothes, and when they were half naked, Rumpelstiltskin lifted the Dark One, sitting her on the table he had just polished.

"We're going to ruin your polish." She warned him.

"Screw the polish!" He said between his fastened breathing.

The Dark One giggled at his answer. She opened her legs, so their bodies fitted better. There was a lot of panting and gasping, while they kissed, touched and explored their bodies. The Dark One took his length on her hand and rubbed it, enjoying the sensation of hardening under her fingers and the muffed moans inside her mouth. When he was hard enough, she guided him into her warmness, both relishing the pleasure their bodies' movements originated. They had been together often enough to know what excited the other, where their sensitive parts were and to what touches they reacted the most. Their moan's echoed through the walls, as Rumpelstiltskin trusted his mistress again and again. As the pounding became more violent and the pleasure was building up, the Dark One leaned backwards, to lie on her back and under her lover. Her legs were wide spread, allowing him full access in her body. Her moans were becoming yells of passion, while he grunted wildly on top of her.

"Are you mine?" She asked him, the pleasure becoming unbearable. "Are you mine forever?"

"Yes."

"Tell me. I want to hear it." She pleaded in a whisper, causing him to kiss her passionately.

"I'm yours. Forever." He moaned, his pounding becoming frantic.

"Tell me again!" She was receiving each trust with great force and pleasure, making her shake her head from one side to the other, burying her nails in his back.

"I'm yours…Forever!" He repeated.

"AGAIN!" She screamed of pleasurable agony. Her whole body was trembling and felt like it was going to burst. Rumpelstiltskin hesitated. There was a warning in the back of his mind not to speak the words. But his mind was too consumed by pleasure, his body reaching his climax.

"I'm yours! FOREVER!"

They screamed and moaned together as they reached their orgasms simultaneously. Rumpelstiltskin kissed his mistress madly and then collapsed on top of her. They lied panting as long as it took for their breaths and heart beat calm down. A strange feeling lured over Rumpeltstiltskin, the words she made him say still burning in his ears. But he shook the feeling away, believing it was only imagination. Little did he know his mistress was not smiling only because of the bliss that followed an outburst of pleasure, but because she had him right where she wanted.

…

The rest of the day was a chaotic blur for Rumpelstiltskin. He was feeling restless, his thoughts being constantly distracted by the longing for his mistress. At the afternoon tea he could not resist his bodily urges and pounded his mistress mindlessly again, causing the tea set to fell and shatter into pieces on the floor, from the continuous shaking of the table. At night, he barely couldn't control his body and almost came before her, his longing for her touch growing insanely by the second. The Dark One had accepted his out-of-character behavior without surprise. She knew it would happen. She knew he couldn't help it and this uncontrollable desire for her would persist for another couple days. This was the price of a binding spell. One that caused unexplainable desire for the person who did the binding. The Dark One had made plenty of deals with young and naïf maidens who claimed to be madly in love with a young man, but weren't corresponded. They ended up by having their men wrapped around their finger, but only after they were repeatedly raped.

"Do I really have to go to the dungeon?" Her exhausted slave almost whined and she thought the sound make him absolutely adorable.

"Yes." She watched him with some regret while he put his amended clothes back on. But she had to let him go. She needed the distance right now. She knew the dangers of a binding spell and she had to avoid from falling into her own web.

Rumpelstiltskin descended to the dungeons, his body crying for hers already. But as the temperature decreased rapidly, the fire in him was extinguished. It was colder than normal. The rain from today had brought an icy air announcing winter. He curled on the corner and tried vainly to keep some warmth in his body. His clothes were too thin and barely protected him from the coldness. He made himself as small as he could, sitting on top of the little straw he had. This would be a long night.

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**Owww! Evil intentione Belle :p**

**The song in the beginning of the chapter is the end of another Loreena Mckennit song, this one "Ride across caucasus"**

**So, what are your thoughts about this chapter/story?**

**Review :)**


	8. Ill

**Thank you for your reviews: juju0268, TeamTHEFT, MissiB, StraightEdgeBroskiPeep, Eyes like Dawn, Ladii Emelia, thedoctorsgirl42, Grace5231973**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

Somehow Rumpelstiltskin had managed to doze off for some hours and woke up with the sound of the door cracking open. He opened his eyes tiredly. He could not feel his feet from coldness and his hands were numb. He got up with some difficult, his body stiff from the compacted position. He could feel tremors spread through his body and knew this was the beginning of a flu. He hastened to the kitchen and took more time in warming up by the fireplace than usual. He was seriously pondering to ask his mistress for a blanket, but he was too terrified to upset her, so he chose to remain silent. Rumpelstilstkin knew the only reason she was kind to him was because he did what she wanted and not because she cared about him.

The Dark One noticed his paleness the moment he entered the room, but interpreted it as a sign of exhaustion from his abnormal sexual activity the day before. The fire was already present in his eyes and she avoided looking at them, concentrating in her breakfast and instructing his chores for the day. Afterwards, she dismissed him and decided she needed to get out of the castle, away from him, to prevent her from becoming tangled in her own binding spell.

The Dark One spent the day outside the castle, putting some deals in other, and missed the coughs and increasing paleness of her slave. Rumpelstiltskin made himself hot tea with lemon juice and honey, tried to concentrate all his thoughts in his chores, ignored the burning desire for his mistress' touch and the fever his sickness was developing. He often had to pause during his chores, becoming easily dizzy. Moving from one room to the other was enough to put him panting like if he had been running. Yet, he decided he would not complain. He had the regular symptoms of flu and expected them to vanish in a few days. He was slightly surprised and definitely disappointed with the absence of his mistress at lunch and at diner. He sat by the fireplace in the kitchen, sipping another hot tea from his cup when the Dark One arrived. She saw the two cold plates on the table and suppressed a laugher at the scene. She took them to the kitchen and saw her slave sitting by the fire.

"Is that the chipped cut?" Rumpelstiltskin jumped with a yell of surprise. Why did she insist in always sneaking up on him? She giggled at his reaction and obvious frown of discontent on his face. She placed the two plates on the small table. "Why did you keep it?" He looked at the small cup and turned it a bit to the sides in his curious manner.

"It's a pretty little thing. It would be a shame to through it away. Besides, it's now the only survivor from the tea set." He was referring to the destruction of the service on the previous day and the Dark One smiled with amusement at the thought. They were worse than a recent married couple.

"But it's chipped." She insisted, not understanding his point.

"Well, I like it just the way it is. It's unique." She stared at him wondering if there was hidden meaning behind those words when she noticed the dark rings under his eyes. _Could the binding spell be consuming him this much?_

"Well, I had a long day. I'm going to bed." She announced while she stretched herself. She chucked at her slave's look, obviously shocked for not being ordered to follow her. She walked to the door and stopped. "Are you coming?" She had to suppress her laughter at the look of happiness on his face and the velocity he got up and reached her.

Rumpelstiltskin's body seemed to have forgotten all of its illness the moment he saw his mistress. He didn't understand why it happened so fast. How was it possible one day he had a mere crush for his mistress and the following day he saw her as his goddess? The longing and desire he had let build up the whole day combined with the weakness of his body, caused him to reach his climax earlier than he should. But the Dark One had no time to complain; before she knew it, he was doing wonders with his tongue and fingers, driving her crazy and originating an orgasm nevertheless. This time she practically had to kick him out of the bed. He was becoming clingy and sleepy, a dangerous combination for her. If he continued acting like this much longer, she would have to restrain him or torture him, otherwise she wouldn't be capable of resisting her own urges for long.

Rumpelstiltskin returned to his cold and now wet cell. It was storming outside and the wind was bringing rain inside. He sought a dry corner and shrunk in agony. He had meant to tell the Dark One during the evening he had the flu, in the hope she would provide him something more comfortable for the night, but had completely forgotten the moment he saw her. He didn't understand what was happening with him and why his hormones were so stirred up. It was like being a teenager all over again. He trembled and moaned slightly of cold and curled into a small ball. If only the night was shorter.

…

Rumpelstiltskin woke up sick. It had stormed all night and it had not ceased yet. He got up and stumbled to the kitchen as fast as he could. He lit the fireplace, made hot tea and put his hands in warm steamy water. He was frozen from head to toes. His thin clothes were humid from the rain drops that poured into his cell. But worse than the cold chills, was the general nausea. His head was throbbing, his muscles were sore, his throat was burning and his legs could barely keep him standing up. He realized with anxiety his sickness had developed into something much worse than an ordinary flu. He was terrified to see his mistress and tried to conceal his indisposition from her. She would certainly become angry with him for not informing her yesterday and allow his illness develop during the night. So when he brought breakfast, he stood slightly to the side, his hair hanging on his face, hiding his pale features.

"Are you alright?" The Dark One asked, sensing something was wrong with him.

"Yes, m'lady. I'm just a little constipated." He lied. His voice sounded hoarse and he didn't allow her to check his face properly, so she believed him. Rumpelstiltskin was relieved when she dismissed him and practically ran to the appointed room to start his chores and hide from the Dark One.

…

The Dark One was back on her potions room, trying to figure out what went wrong with the annoyingly difficult spell when she heard coughing. She lifted her head and pondered if she should check on her slave. The last thing she needed was Rumpelstiskin getting sick, but he had told her he had a cold, so she let him be. The coughing had persisted the whole morning and at some point developed into a compulsive one. She had decided to check him up after lunch. This was becoming ridiculous. But for now, she was too concentrated with the spell, which was finally indicating she was succeeding. When she was finished, she cheered of joy, proud with her own accomplishment. Only then did she realize the silence. There was no coughing. An awkward sensation filled her chest. There was no coughing, no humming or singing. She strained her magical senses but picked up nothing. An alien sensation grew on the pit of her stomach as she rushed down. Her heart skipped a couple beats when she entered the room he was working in and found him laying on the floor unconscious. She ran to him and quickly checked him. He had lost all color on his face, his heartbeat was fast and he was burning with fever. Cursing out loud, she teletransported him to the living room and laid him down on the couch. She quickly summoned a container with ice and water, a few basic potions, a woolen blanket and a feet-warmer. With some magic, she managed to lower a bit his temperature. She studied him closely and realized he had lied this morning. She cursed again, realizing the paleness from the previous day had nothing to do with the binding spell, but with the beginning of sickness. She wondered how got this ill this quickly. She could hear the sound of the heavy rain pounding on the windows and the sound of thunder far away. She realized it then. In no time she stood in the dungeons and nearly screamed of anger. There was a puddle of water in the middle of the small space. She saw the little straw on the corner, a drier place he obviously had used, but humid nevertheless.

She cursed viciously over and over again. _What was he thinking in not telling me anything?_ She rushed back to the room. He was still unconscious, but was starting to become delirious. She was frustrated. She could not use magic on him. Not to cure him anyway. He was too sick and only a powerful spell could cure him. But all magic comes with a price. The more powerful the spell was, the higher the price magic demanded. She feared, if she saved his life with magic, he would die a couple days later rolling down the stairs or under a heavy shelf. No, it was too risky. And she could not let him die. So she used basic and harmless magic, combined with traditional medicine. The rest was up to him. She would vigil him and keep him from burning up, but in the end, he was the one who had to struggle against the illness. And it wouldn't be easy.

…

The following three days were hell. Rumpelstiltskin was in a constant state of delirium. His coughing was so violent, he would spit blood and he barely ate. The Dark One never left his side, making sure his fever would go down with magic and treating his coughing with efficient traditional medicine. The periods he would wake up properly, she could give him chicken stock, making sure his body received enough liquids, salt and nutrients.

The worst part was definitely the delirium. Often she would sit on the floor with a book on her lap, enjoying the warmth from the fire and the short silences between the man's agonizing moans. Regularly he would wake up for just a few moments, stare at her and make strange comments.

"Are you a princess?" He once asked. She looked at him startled. His eyes were so unfocused she knew instantly he was dreaming with them open. "You sure look like one."

Once she was cooling his temple with a small towel. He opened his eyes to stare at her and blinked a few times. After a while he smiled.

"Aren't you a pretty little thing?" He instantly fell back into his slumber, his soft smile still on his lips. The Dark One stared at him in full perplexity wondering why he had described her the same way he described his chipped cup. She ended up letting it go, the man was after all feverish.

One time her reading was interrupted by him calling her softly. She looked up and noticed his eyes were not so unfocussed as usual.

"Mistress." He whispered. She got up and caressed his temple. The fever was still very high. He was breathing with some difficulty. "I'm thirsty." She helped him sit up and he drunk water eagerly. Once he was satiated, she helped him lay down again. She was about to return to her book, when he held her hand. "Mistress." He whispered again and she could see a look of wonder in his eyes. "What is your name?"

"Oh Rumple. I cannot give you my name just like that. Names are a powerful thing." Especially when a binding spell was active, even if the victim was being consumed by fever, she thought.

"Please, mistress, I really would like to know your name." But she never gave him an answer and eventually he would surrender back to sleep.

The quiet odd questions and comments were definitely the less troubling parts of the man's delirium. When the fever would reach its highest peak, and the Dark One would be attempting to lower his temperature with little magic, he would dwell in a horrible world of disturbing nightmares and would end up screaming in his distress.

"We have to go! We have to go!" He screamed his face of pure terror. "The Ogres are coming!"

The Dark One had to shake him till he realized he wasn't in the battle field, his eyes confused but relieved when they saw the azure orbs. Sometimes he would call out for his son, sometimes for a woman called Milah, which she figured out was his wife. Other men's names were often shouted and followed by horrible screams and sobs, and she was certain those were the ones who died in the battlefields. And she was guessing he had seen them die. It was nerve wracking to watch him battle the illness and often the Dark One was tempted to simply use magic and cure him once and for all.

_All magic comes with a price_

It was a mocking but a warning voice, and she listened to it, continued doing her best in not interfering with his progress. The most agonizing moment happened during the third night. Rumpelstiltskin kept calling out for his son sadly, sounding desperate. She sat next to him and shushed him, caressing his always too hot temple. He opened his eyes and tears were cascading down his face.

"Bae, Bae…I need to see my son…Please, mistress, let me see my son." He begged weakly, the tears blinding his eyes.

"Shhh. Don't upset yourself. You're making things worse for yourself."

"Please, mistress…Can't you see? I'm dying! I don't want to die without seeing my son!"

She was shocked by his statement. She heard the despair in his voice, followed by a frightened sob. He was crying not of misery, but because he knew he was dying. It was then she realized he was indeed dying. His life was hanging by a thin thread. He was standing between the world of the living and the world of the dead. His body was too weak, too consumed by the fire of fever. The Dark One stared at him with a knowing look. This was the determinant night. It was the night he would decide to live or die. She stared at him with resolve.

"Listen, Rumpel. You are not going to die! I will not allow it!"

As soon as she spoke the words, she moved her hand before his eyes, so he would fall in a gentle sleep. She pushed her sleeves up and wet the small towel, cooling his temple and neck.

She would not let him die.

* * *

**So, what are your thougths?**

**Please review :)**


	9. Recovery

**Thank you: BookFinder, The Prince's Phoenix, LePetitErik, MissiB, Ladii Emelia, juju0268, Stargate533, thedoctorsgirl42, ctdg, TeamTHEFT, Grace5231973**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

Morning arrived later than usual. The skies were determined to remain dark and heavy for a few more days. It had been a struggling night. The Dark One had used as little magic as possible, preferring to use traditional methods, slower but safer, surely in the case of Rumpelstiltskin. She made sure the small towel was always soaked in cold water and pressed it against his temple and neck now and then. He moaned restlessly, his dreams tormented and confused. And between his cries of disorientation, she whispered him to fight back. His high fever finally dropped down in the first hours of dawn and the Dark One sat on the floor, exhausted but satisfied with the results. The worse was over. Now, she had to make sure he made a full recovery.

The Dark One sat against the couch Rumpelstiltskin laid. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth the fireplace emanated. Tiredness took over her mind and body and slowly she surrendered into slumber. She woke up with a light, almost indiscernible touch on her hair. She opened her eyes and turned around to meet deep brown orbs staring tiredly but clearly at her. His hand rested next to his face and his fingers had been playing with her hair.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" The Dark One asked. Rumpelstilskin merely blinked weakly, having no strength in his body to produce a sound. "Come, you need some food."

She summoned a warm delicious chicken stock. Rumpelstiltskin had looked a bit reluctant when she spoke about food, but the smell must have changed his mind, his eyes suddenly looked brighter. The Dark One helped him sit up and held the bowl for him. He drunk the warm liquid until he signed he wanted no more. She frowned, thinking he had taken too little, but then, his appetite had to recover too. She put the bowl on the table and was surprised to see him sleeping already, but looking peaceful.

…

Rumpelstiltskin gradually recovered. Slowly but progressively. It took him another day before he could actually talk, his voice weak and close to a whisper. Now and then, he would have a bit temperature, but it never increased to fever. Slowly his appetite would grow and by the end of the week he was eating solids. But the fever had consumed a lot of his body's energy and he frequently drifted off into a deep sleep. He barely moved, the Dark One always had to help him with the sitting, but he specially hated when he needed to go to the toilet. He found it extremely embarrassing to have to ask each time for the damn potty and give it back to his mistress to throw the contents away. She seemed not to take it all too bad; since she giggled every time at his discomfort and once even joked by saying _she preferred to dispose of his stinky piss than have him wet the couch_.

Rumpelstilskin loved the couch. In fact, he had decided he didn't want to detach from it anymore. It was large enough for him, soft and comfy. He curled on it and disappeared under the woolen blanket, like if it was his personal cocoon. He felt safe and warm. Also, he loved the fireplace, often losing his gaze on the dancing flames. But most of all, she loved his personal nurse. Of course he never called her that, didn't even dare to, sure she would murder him on the spot. He was forever thankful for her dedication in taking care of him during his delirium and now with his recovery. He was surprised with her patience and kindness, not quite understanding how an evil nature could coexist with a good one. After all, she could have easily chosen to let him die.

"Thank you." He suddenly spoke his thoughts out loud. The Dark One shifted her eyes from her book. She spent now most of her hours between the couch and the fireplace, but still attended deals and worked on her spells and potions in between.

"For what?"

"For this." And he made a general circular gesture, so she understood perfectly well what he meant.

"You're welcome." She spoke in the most neutral possible manner, hiding some of her surprise. She was not really used to people thanking her (usually they blamed _her_ for _their _bad choices) and she tried to shake the weird fuzzy feeling it created inside her chest.

"And I'm sorry." She lifted her eyebrow wondering what this was about. "For not telling you about the dungeon. I meant to but…well, I wasn't really myself back then."

The Dark One bent her head slightly to the side with curiosity. She could have sworn she saw some color come to his cheeks, but he was quickly back in his warm cocoon so she never knew for sure. He was a funny man, this slave of hers.

…

After a week, Rumpelstiltskin had reached that stage of recovery in which he was too weak to walk but too well to sit quiet the whole day. He was growing impatient to get out of his beloved couch and be able to move around again. He had tried once to walk to the toilet and barely make it due to the overwhelming dizziness. His hate for his dependency on the potty grew stronger by each passing day. His muscles were starting to hurt, from lying too many hours following. He sat now most of the time and often would fall asleep in his position. When he was awake, he would shift constantly in a fidgety manner, driving his mistress crazy.

"Will you please stop moving so much?" She suddenly spat. She had been hanging on the same page for about five minutes, because every time she started reading a sentence, Rumpelstiltskin would shift and the sound of the material grating broke her concentration. He stared at her both surprised and a bit helpless.

"I'm sorry. It's just my back is killing me and I'm bored to death. I prefer ten times more to be scrubbing that damn staircase the whole week than having to lie here all the time!" He complained in complete honesty. The Dark One wondered since when her slave became at ease to speak his mind so openly. She even had to smirk when he referred the _dawn_ _staircase._

"Well, if you are so bored, why don't you pick a book?"

The Dark One pointed at the staple books lying on the small table next to Rumpelstiltskin. He stared at them thoughtfully. He started examining book by book, looking at the covers and opening them. After a quick glance at the written pages, he would close the book and pick another one. He finally looked satisfied at a large book with colorful miniatures. The Dark One smiled as the quietness returned to her restless slave. She contemplated him a while. She saw him tracing his index along the lines of a beautifully delineated initial with particular tenderness. His expression was one of sweetness and soon he was delighting with the colorful and detailed miniatures. He could stare at a miniature for five minutes, his eyes going back and forth, seeing each detail and each line, each face or creature portrayed, each flower or tree skillfully painted. The Dark One never had seen anybody taking such pleasure on miniatures, portraits and paintings like he did. She remembered seeing him once walking one side to the other in a room, his eyes never leaving a portrait. When she asked what he was doing, he claimed, with great incredulity, that the portrait was following him with its eyes. Another time, she caught him staring at a painting for about ten minutes. She wondered what he saw in these images that nobody else saw. For her, they were mere representations of reality or creations of the painter's fantasy. Rumpelstitlskin however, seemed to see much more and quickly lost himself in a world that was his and only his. The book was thick and full of images. The Dark One smiled contented knowing she would have hours of silence.

…

Rumpelstiltskin was having a restless dream. The Dark One sat next to him on the couch and rested her hand on his temple. He was a bit warm, but not even close to fever.

"They're coming! They're coming! Will! William! RUN!"

He woke up screaming and the Dark One had to shush him to calm him down. His eyes were unfocussed the first moments and he looked terrified. His face was white under cold sweat and hot tears. He was panting and when he realized where he was, he sighed relieved and covered his eyes with his hands.

"Who's William?" The Dark One asked when he finally calmed down. Rumpelstiltskin drew his hands back and gave such an agonizing look, she almost regretted to ask.

"He was…ehm…William was a friend." The Dark One raised an eyebrow.

"He was?" She saw the tears returning to his eyes, struggling with his emotions.

"He died. In the war…the Ogres war." Hot tears sprung now freely from his eyes. "The ogre…it-it broke him in two…It just grabbed him like if he was a rag doll and torn him off…blood and bones and guts and everything falling on the ground." He said between his gasps and sobs. "He didn't even have time to realize what was happening!" Rumpelstiltskin was trembling as he described his vivid memories.

"Shhh, it was just a dream."

"It was not dream! It bloody happened! I saw Will being ripped in two! I saw my neighbors being crashed like bugs! They were so many! And they wouldn't stop coming! It was like a bloody plague of ogres, hitting and throwing and crashing and ripping everything on their path!" Rumpelstiltskin sounded hysteric. His eyes showed panic and the Dark One knew he wasn't delirious. He was remembering vividly his experience in the battle field.

"How did you escape?" He stared at her and shame spread on his face.

"I ran away."

"You deserted the war?"

"Don't think I was the only one to drop the weapons and scram out of that hell. I was the only one that survived the escape! It was impossible to fight! Every man that tried to stab the ogres with a spear or simply stood in their way, were brutally killed! You really think I was going to stand there and wait for my turn? I bloody ran away!"

"And your leg?"

"It was a chaos. I'm sure I must have ran under their legs a few times. One of them caught me and crushed it."

"And yet, you survived. How?" Rumpelstiltskin hesitated. That was the part of the story he never understood himself. The part of the story that originated all kind of rumors in the village and caused Milah's unbearable dishonor to the point she left him and their boy.

"I don't quite know. It all went black after that. I don't know what happened next, I just know I was unconscious for a long time. I have no recollection of what happened during two days. When I woke up, I was lying in bed at home." The Dark One frowned, confused.

"How did you get home?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Some kids found me at the edge of the forest, near the village."

"How far were you from the battlefield?"

"Uhm…About 20, maybe 30km."

"How in the world did you get away from the battlefield with a broken leg and travelled so far in such a short time?"

"I have no idea! I cannot remember anything after the ogre crushed my leg!" There was a slight glint in the Dark One's eyes that escaped him.

"How long did the war continue afterwards?"

"I was told the ogres retreated just a few days after I arrived home. There had been a mysterious attack with wildfire. Everything in the battlefield and in the ogres' columns was burnt. Something really powerful had followed the ogres for miles and almost consumed them all. You still can see the trail of destruction today. Nothing ever grows there."

"Any theories of what might have caused that destruction?"

"Most people think it was a dragon." He hesitated and stared at her. "Or the Dark One."

"No. I didn't do it. But I might have an idea of who might have done it." She said with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Who?"

"Now, now. I'm not going to accuse anybody without knowing for certain." She said a bit mockingly and noticed his brow furrowed in annoyance.

"And if you confirm your suspicions?"

"Let's say some things are better left buried." She whispered. He stared at her in frustration but complied, knowing there was no way convincing his mistress in telling him her secrets.

* * *

**For those who are following season 2, I diverted from the show's version about Rumpel's part in the Ogre Wars, otherwise my story will not make sense. I'll say nothing more to avoid spoilers.**

**What are your thoughts about this chapter?**

**please review :)**


	10. The Beauty and the Beast

**I'm afraid I cannot reveal the cause of the wildfire (yet) during the Ogres Wars. You'll have to keep reading to discover.**

**Thank you: MissiB, Stargate533, juju0268 (POTTY!), The Prince's Phoenix, Grace5231973, Guest, thedoctorsgirl42, Ladii Emelia**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

Every day Rumpelstiltskin felt better and a little bit stronger. Half way the second week he was finally walking short distances without fainting of dizziness. He celebrated when he finally managed to walk to the toilet and got rid of the potty with much pleasure, wishing never having to see it again. The Dark One laughed at the situation, glad to see her slave was recovering well and steadily. He insisted in making tea, claiming he should start getting his routine back, but in truth, he had missed making it and was still bored out of his mind.

"Read a book." The Dark One insisted for the tenth time after he brought back the tea set to the kitchen. Every time she suggested him to read, he would inspect the books, opening them and then closing them again, showing no interest in the written stories. "Stop being so fussy. Look, I'm sure you'll like this one." She handed him a small book. He opened it, let the pages slip between the fingers, placed the book back on the table and fell silent, with an annoyed look. He looked ashamed and offended at the same time and only then did the Dark One realize why he only chose books with images. "You can't read!" She almost yelled at her revelation. "Wow. Your life must be really empty." The Dark One, having a special affinity with books, could not imagine a life without them.

"If you spend the whole day working and still have a child to care, I guarantee you there is no time or energy or whatsoever to read!" The Dark One stared surprised at his bitter tone. He looked clearly offended and gave a soft grunt, lying on his back. The Dark One had the slightest feeling this was a man that probably always wished he could read but never had the chance to learn it. She smiled as she got an idea.

"What if I read a bit for you?" She sat next to him on the couch, holding the small book on her lap. He looked suspiciously at her. Since he didn't react, she cleared her voice and started reading. "Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a young orphan boy. He served as squire to the nobleman Sir Keith and every morning he…"

She read the exciting story about a boy named Arthur, who became king with the help of Merlin, the wise but clumsy wizard. Together and with the help of Excalibur and the men of the Round Table they won many challenges and enemies and defended their kingdom Camelot. Rumpelstiltskin listened enthralled to the written words and was fascinated with the tale's characters such as Sir Lancelot and Lady Morgana. The Dark One ceased reading when she noticed his eyes were getting heavy and he couldn't keep them open anymore. She looked at him contented. There was a soft smile plastered on his face.

…

The following days they created the habit of having reading sessions by the warmth of the fireplace. The Dark One still didn't allow her slave to do more than the tea, fearing he would fall back in his illness. He was still weak, still falling asleep too many times and too quickly, not to mention he was still recovering quite some lost pounds. Since she started reading him stories, his restlessness diminished profoundly. His time was finally occupied and the Dark One shared her world of tales with him. One morning, she was out of adventure books and wanted to go to her library to get new ones. But Rumpelstiltskin held her arm and asked her to stay. There was that look in his eyes, she had seen the last couple days already several times. It was like if he wanted to say something, but always restrained himself from doing so. She remained seated next to him, his fingers still around her arm, his thumb forming small circles on it. She stared down at him in wonder, while he seemed to hesitate like he always did.

"What is it?" She finally asked. The hesitation grew. He opened his mouth and closed again. After some moments struggling, he finally seemed to find the courage to ask her the question that he had wanted to ask since the day he arrived in the castle.

"Where you a princess before you became the Dark One?" She stared surprised at him and he could see immediately she wasn't happy with the question. Still he insisted. "Were you the princess of _this_ castle?" The Dark One stared upset at him, the blackness of her iris growing. The silence was becoming frightening. "Please. I told you about the Ogres." _Can't you share your story with me_? He didn't say it out loud, but it remained implicit. The Dark One pondered a long while. Why would she tell her story to him? He was nothing but a slave. But then, why did it upset her that he wanted to hear her story? That he stared at her with those pleading brown eyes and it made her uncomfortable? "It's not like I'm going to tell it to anybody." He insisted. She chuckled. She knew he could not tell anybody, because he didn't see anybody. But she knew what he truly meant. He meant he would keep her story secret. And for some reason, she trusted him.

"Yes, I was princess of this castle, once upon a time, a very long time ago." She started, her voice low and pleasant. She smiled a bit, feeling his hand softly slip down her arm to her hand, holding it. "My father was king of Avonlea, the land of the mountains and the fertile fields. He was a good king and his people loved him dearly. He had lost his wife too early, but had a daughter he loved and cherished above all things. Even though he knew nothing could replace her sweet mother, he made sure his girl grew up happy, never missing anything in her life.

There was a neighboring kingdom where there lived a prince, just a few years older than her. His name was Gaston. When the princess was ten, she was betrothed to him. She was to get married when she reached the age of fifteen, as the tradition demanded, but the ogres came and brought the wars with them." The Dark One noticed Rumpelstiltskin frown slightly at the mention of the monsters, and she gently moved a lock of grey hair from his face. "The wedding was postponed, because the prince had to go to battle. Three years later, they conquered the ogres, who departed defeated. The triumphant prince returned home with cheers and celebration for his courage and strength. Prince and princess finally wed and she moved to his castle.

Every night they would bed, wishing to have an heir to the throne, but no child came. Prince Gaston was very angry and tormented the princess daily with insults, accusing her for not fulfilling her only task for the kingdom. There were many stares and gossip going around in the court and in the streets. The princess grew unhappy, but she knew it wasn't her fault. The prince had many lovers, but none gave him a bastard. He was as barren as a desert." She said mockingly, Rumpelstiltskin chucking at the metaphor. "When she was twenty-four, the ogres returned. Prince Gaston left to the wars again, like many good and valiant men. But this time the wars were more violent and years stretched themselves. The princess, like many noble women, attended the wounded in the hospital and she grew desperate with the amount of young men condemned to become cripples or die of infections. She wanted to save the people of her future kingdom, but didn't know how.

One day, an old man told her the story of the Dark One. He told her there was a way to defeat him and take his powers. She decided she wanted the powers, so she could put an end to the horrible and never-ending war. She left her husband's kingdom when she was twenty-eight and it took her two years to find the Dark One. And when she did, she succeeded into killing him. It had been easier than she thought. Then she realized, the dying Dark One was the old man who had spoken with her two years before. It had been a trap and it was too late. He laughed, telling her he was free and that it was now her burden to carry. And then he died." She paused and closed her eyes at the memory of her fears and deception lived at that moment. And how those feelings all vanished when something else took their place. Darkness.

"Her mind was overwhelmed with dark powers she could not handle. It was a magnificent feeling, the magic flowing in her veins, making her unstoppable. She killed many ogres with a simple flicker of her fingers and ended the wars. She returned to her husband's castle, proud of her achievements. Prince Gaston returned shortly after and she told him about her new powers and how she pulverized the ogres. He laughed at her not believing in her tale. He ridiculed her fantasies and humiliated her again for being childless. She had enough of his constant taunting, so she stabbed him on the stomach and killed him." The Dark One made a movement, holding an invisible knife in her hand and crushed it on her slave's belly. His muscles only flinched a bit.

"She killed all her husband's lovers. Then she killed all pregnant women. And all women who had children. And then their husbands. Nobody should have what was denied to her. The king ordered her death and she killed all the castle knights and her father-in-law too. She proceeded killing those who gossiped and mocked her during all those years. In the court and in the streets. Then she killed those she suspected were against her. In a few days, there was nobody left to kill. In her rage of accumulated years of unfair submission, she burned down the castle, so in the end there was nothing left but rubble and smoke." The Dark One took a few deep breaths, as she was becoming a bit overwhelmed by her memories. She could feel Rumpelstiltskin's hand still on hers.

"Afterwards, she dwelled for many years without a destination, traveling through the world, bringing disgrace and misery wherever she went. One day, she heard the king of Avonlea was dying of illness and of a broken heart. She returned to her father's kingdom and was received with tears of joy by the king. She tended his illness and managed to stretch his life for some years. During her stay in the castle, the king would always watch over his daughter and protect her from unfriendly rumors. And during those years, little by little, people left the castle and its lands, fearing for a similar fate as her husband's kingdom. When her father finally died, old and ill, the castle was already abandoned and no living soul was to be found in a ray of miles. The rest you already know." She finished her story with a heavy sight. It was the first time she shared it with another living being and a heavy weigh was lifted from her shoulders.

"What was the princess' name?" The Dark One could have cried at the pleading look of his eyes. Her name. Few knew it. Few used it.

"Her name was Belle."

"Belle." He repeated with a smile. Her name never sounded so right on someone's lips. "What a lovely name. It suits you."

"I'm a monster." She bitterly said. He placed his hand on her cheek.

"Yes. You are a monster. And you are Belle." His voice was a comforting whisper. "You are both. The Beauty _and_ the Beast." He said affectionately. She chuckled, holding back tears from her eyes.

"That's quite a unique combination."

"One of a kind."

The Dark One, Belle, couldn't hold it back anymore. She leaned over her slave and crushed her lips on his. He was lying on his back and she laid on top on him, her body fitting perfectly on his. Rumpelstiltskin wrapped his arms around her and they kissed for a long while. They hadn't tasted each other for almost three weeks and were making up for lost time. After a while, Belle's hands started searching for the warmth of his body, making way to his chest and fidgeting with his buttons.

"Mistress…Mistress." He called meekly between his gasps. "Belle!" She looked down at him surprised. "I'm sorry. I'm too weak." He dejectedly said. She sighed in understanding and kissed him on his lips.

"Can't you get better faster?" She whispered disappointed in his ear. He chucked more at the sensation than at her words.

"Believe me. I'm doing my best."

They locked their gazes for a while. Then Belle kissed him again. They kissed until their lips and tongues were exhausted and then they remained lying still. They stayed in silence, in a world words weren't needed anymore, the sound of their breathing, the feeling of their heartbeats against their chests and the warmth of their bodies being just enough.

* * *

**So, what do you think about Belle/Dark One's backstory? **

**Please continue reviewing :)**


	11. A Strange Guest

**Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm: juju0268, LePetitErik, truelove333, Stargate533, Tamha, thedoctorsgirl42, MissiB, ctdg, Guest, Ladii Emelia 3**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

Another month passed by and the Dark Castle's inhabitant's lives returned to their normal daily rhythm. It took Rumpelstiltskin about five weeks to fully recover from his sickness and his days were again filled with chores. As usual, he started his mornings with the preparation of breakfast, made tea and cooked lunch and dinner which was, as always, disregarded by Belle. The Dark One still would seek him to listen to his songs between her work breaks and after dinner she always read him some chapters of a book. Rumpelstiltskin slept now on the couch, with the warmth of the woolen blanket and the flames from the fireplace. Belle concluded it was unthinkable to make him return to the dungeon. It had been fun while it lasted, but she was not willing to put his health at risk again. The reason she also got him some sets of new shirts and trousers. All he had brought, the day he arrived in the castle, were his thin, poor and meanwhile worn-out cotton garments. His new clothing was more adequate to the cold season, a golden shirt with a red sleeveless jacked and black leather pants. He would use a proper long cloak and thick boots when he needed to be outside, his body now always protected from the bitter cold. Belle had to admit his new "uniform" suited him, accentuating his small and slender body in a positive manner.

Their daily rhythm was restored, but something had changed since the day Belle told her tale. None dared to admit it to the other and both avoided to talk about it. Yet, they knew the other party was aware of this change, but pretended they didn't. It was like if this unspoken agreement had been made between them. Their lives went on under the denial of a change that brought them closer together. Of a change that connected them during their silent contemplating moments. Of a change that intensified the fire in their looks and touches during the feverish hours of the night. Looks and smiles of complicity were easily switched; accidental touches frequently shared. All these warm, fuzzy and happy feelings were alien and new for both of them and, none of them, despite their life experience, really knew how to react to these new emotions. So they played along, this silly game of pretend. And so they pretended she was just the mistress and he was just the slave. Because playing pretend was easier and safer than admitting the reality.

…

Rumpelstiltskin was cleaning Belle's collection, admiring a particular decorated goblet, when the Dark One entered the room. He turned to look at her and would have sworn that, hidden behind her quiet façade, was a crazy and excited look in her eyes.

"Rumpel. I need you in my potions room." She spoke, her voice and posture calm, but he could feel an odd energy surrounding his mistress.

"Your potions room? Why?" Rumpelstilstkin had meanwhile explored the castle the last few months, but the Dark One's workplace always had been forbidden terrain for him.

"I told you, I need you there. It will only take a second. And then you can go back flirting with the goblet."

Reluctantly, he followed his mistress with a bad feeling, not appreciating the fact she wouldn't tell him the reason she wanted him in her work room. He honestly hoped she didn't plan to use him in some crazy experiment of hers. Her working place was located on the castle's highest tower. They climbed the never-endless stairway and Rumpelstiltskin feared the day his mistress would order him to scrub the endless stairs. They reached a door, enchanted by a spell, so it protected the Dark One's secrets. She whispered a small incantation and it opened. Rumpelstiltskin stared amazed at this world that was new to him. There were two tables crowded with glasses, flasks, caldrons and other instruments he could not identify. On the floor laid boxes and baskets with dried leaves and with what he believed were dried animal body parts. There were of course several large shelves full of books, which he imagined their texts were about magic. Belle smiled a bit as his eyes scanned the large circular division with wonder. She went to the table, gathered a needle and a small flask.

"Give me your hand." She ordered. He obeyed, not really listening to her, still absorbing his surroundings. She pricked his index with the needle without warning.

"Ouch!" He complained. Rumpelstiltkin watched uncomprehending his mistress press his finger so three drops of blood were released and fell into the small flask.

"Blood? What do you need my blood for?" He demanded shocked, when he received his finger back.

"I need it for a spell."

"But why _my_ blood?" He mumbled upset, putting his index in his mouth, easing the pain.

"I needed blood from a human and you were the closest one to find." She said happily, putting her slave's blood between some other flasks.

"Why didn't you take your own blood?" He asked still irritated and unsatisfied with the answers. Belle giggled amused.

"Because I cannot use my blood for my own spell."

"What kind of spell needs blood for, anyway? What are you making?" He asked, examining the head of his index.

"What my motivations are is my business." She said, closing the matter.

She came closer, took his hand on hers and placed his pricked finger in her mouth, sucking the little blood it still shed. She closed her eyes, tasting the metallic flavor. When she opened them again, Rumpelstiltskin was staring at her with his lips slightly departed, startled at the erotic gesture. She took his index from her mouth, the fire already present in their eyes. Her slave bent slightly closer and…

"I thought I would find you here…" The couple startled and both jumped back. Rumpelstiltskin in particular, looked bewildered at the strange man who appeared suddenly out of nothing. Noticing the tension in the air the stranger said: "Busy? Should I…?" And he made a gesture with his hands, indicating _leave_.

"No, no, nothing important going on here!" Belle said in a rather playful manner. Rumpelstiltskin was still staring at the man, who entered, looking quite at home.

"Mistress…"

"Ignore him." She told the stranger, gesturing like if Rumpelstitlskin was something insignificant. He frowned a bit hurt and remained standing on the spot, waiting for orders. Belle walked to one side of a table, the stranger to the other, opposite her.

"I got what you wanted." He announced triumphant while he took out translucent ball out of his bag. She looked at it from the side.

"What about the slippers?

"Oh. Couldn't find them. Heard talk they've already been moved to another land."

"That's what I needed to get to _that_ other land!" Both stranger and Belle looked at Rumpelstiltskin, who had almost knocked down a glass, when he took a step backwards and crashed on the table behind him. They continued their talk like if he was invisible.

"Well, come with me and my hat, I'm sure we can work something out."

"No, no, it's a too risky journey. I'll find an alternative." She quickly dismissed.

"You want the ball or not?" The stranger once again presented the sphere and the Dark One hesitated for a moment.

"Mmmm, yes." She took it from his hand. "Help yourself to as much gold as you deem appropriate." She gestured to a box smilingly, the stranger's smile even broader. She turned to Rumpelstiltskin and seemed to be reminded of his existence. "Oh, and you. You can let yourself out. Go make some fresh tea for my guest."

Rumpelstitlskin obeyed immediately, rushing out of the tower. He scolded himself internally for feeling upset. What was he expecting anyway? He was nothing but a slave. An object in her eyes. With no value. He practically ran down the stairs while a collection of unpleasant emotions were boiling up inside of him. _Who was that guy? Why was he so at ease?_ Rumpelstiltskin had given a good look at man. He was about Belle's age (physically speaking, she was probably centuries old) tall and handsome. Rumpelstiltskin hated himself for feeling jealous. He could feel the fire of envy already boil in his chest and he wasn't the least happy she remained alone with the stranger in the tower. He reached the kitchen in a record time and made tea with controlled fury. _Oh, and you. You can let yourself out._ The nonchalant manner she had spoken to him had hurt the most. It was like a stab in his heart. And the look she gave him held so much despise that he actually felt sick and was relieve he could leave. He didn't want to transpire it mattered to him what she thought about him.

And then realization fell upon him. It was important for him what she thought about him and what she felt about him. And suddenly, the feelings he had tried to deny for weeks were finally out in the open. He realized with great pain and bitterness he loved his mistress.

"Get a grip on yourself." He whispered to himself. "What you are wishing is impossible. She's the Dark One, your mistress and if she wants it, your death. Get her out of your mind!"

He fought some tears threatening escaping his watery eyes. He had during his life heard many love stories and songs that described the feeling of being in love as something amazing, something that gave immeasurable happiness. But all he felt right now was an indescribable pain. He picked up the tray with the tea set with shaky hands and took a deep breath. He ordered his mind to ignore his feelings, his urges, his pain. She was not his. She would never be his. And so, concentrating on this thought, he walked upstairs, to bring the tea.

He was surprised when he entered the room and found only the stranger in it. He was sitting on Belle's place, hands resting behind his head and with the feet on the table. He had a large tall hat on his head and looked rather mad.

"Ah! Tea!" The stranger said quite enthusiastic, rubbing his hands together.

"Where's mistress?"

"Oh, she'll be down in a second, said something about finishing a minor spell or something." He said while he watched Rumpelstiltskin pour the tea. "So, you're her new slave. What's your name?"

"Rumpelstiltskin."

"Rump…what?"

"Just call me Rumpel."

"And I am Jefferson. At your orders." He said as he bent to shake the other man's hand.

"I doubt it." Rumpelstilskin smiled at Jefferson's words.

"Oh yeah, the slave thing." He laughed a bit awkward. "Hey, why don't you take a seat?"

"Oh…I-I…She…"

"Come on, join me for the tea. She won't be upset, I promise." Rumpeltskitskin hesitated. He was dead scared to do something to enrage his mistress. But Jefferson seemed to be a kind person after all and he only realized now, how much he missed talking with someone of his own gender. And maybe he could discover what kind of relationship Jefferson and his mistress have. So ignoring the part of his brain that screamed him to leave and return to his chores, he pushed a chair and sat down.

…

Belle was surprised to hear the sound of high voices and uncontrollable laughter as she walked down the stairs. She entered her dining room to see Jefferson sitting on the middle of the table, his legs crossed, his hat reclining to the side on his head. He was laughing his head off. Rumpelstitlskin was pacing next to the table, telling some tale of his, gesturing widely as he did so. There was an unusual restlessness in him. He seemed not to be able to remain quiet and every gesture and facial expression was exaggerated.

"So the guy says: can I take those two chickens instead of the turkey?" Rumpelstiltskin mimicked, embodying the buyer. "Of course, says the vendor. Then the guy walks away with the two chickens without paying them. Hey! Says the vendor: you didn't pay the chickens. And the guy says: that's right. I switched them for the turkey. But you didn't pay the turkey either, says the vendor. That's correct, because I switched it for the chickens!"

Jefferson gave a loud clap and laughed hysterically at Rumpelstitlskin's amusing and talented embodiment of the two characters as he theatrically told the joke. The two men were laughing like crazy, tears running down their faces, bending from the ache on their bellies. Belle shook her head in incredulity. She had an idea of what's going on. Her confirmation was Rumpeltskitskin's way of greeting her.

"Mistress!" He yelled with a high-pitched voice, sounding like a child about to receive a cake. "You made it just in time for tea!"

"Jefferson! Did you drug my slave?" It was an accusation, since she already knew the answer.

"Oh Belle!" Jefferson managed to say between his laughter. "You have to admit he's absolutely hilarious! I like this one. Are you keeping him?" Rumpelstiltskin laughed a bit but suddenly widened his eyes, as Jefferson's words somehow pierced his drugged state of mind.

"What? There were other slaves? What happened to them?" He asked suddenly concerned.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Jefferson said. "Killed themselves or were killed by her." And then his hysterical laughter fit started all over again. Rumpelstiltkskin stood staring at him stupidly, his brains processing the information much slower than normal. He turned to his mistress, who was standing next to him.

"Don't kill me." He requested in such an innocent way, it actually sounded cute and made Belle smile sweetly.

"I would never kill you." She said while she moved a lock of hair out of his face. Rumpelstiltskin smiled of relieve, joy and adoration. And despite the fact he was under the influence of some drug, he knew she had been honest with him.

* * *

**He, he. Rumpel is high.**

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	12. The Market

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* * *

The tea incident stayed in the Dark Castle's history forever and a week later, the Dark One still giggled at the image of the two drugged men, very much for her slave´s embarrassment. She should have known better, letting Rumpelstiltskin alone with Jefferson. He wasn't nicknamed Mad Hatter for nothing! The effect of the magic mushrooms only wore off many hours later and when Rumpelstiltkin was finally sober, he was so ashamed of his rather extravert behavior that he apologized over and over again.

Today Belle had something important in her mind. She needed to acquire an object in particular for the crucial development of her own personal spell she was working on for weeks already. She knew exactly where to get it and it was the perfect environment to test something out. So after she drank her morning tea, instead of dismissing her submissive slave, she told him to get his warm cloak and boots. He looked at her questioningly, already fearing the woman would send him cleaning the garden's path, which was already covered by a thick layer of snow. He never expected to hear what his mistress had in mind.

"We are going to the market!" She happily announced. Rumpelstitlskin stared at her dumbfounded and she could see his mind struggling in processing the information. They were going together to a market. She was taking him outside the Dark Castle. Outside and back to his old world.

"Really?" His voice betrayed the shock. He smiled excited when she nodded and quickly exited the room to gather his things.

Rumpelstiltskin's brain was still trying to understand what was going on, while he put on his boots. He suddenly halted as a feeling of threat hung over him. The Dark One never did something without an intention camouflaged behind her actions. She didn't need him to go with her to the marked. She was somebody who always did her businesses alone. Rumpelstiltskin's initial enthusiasm was quickly replaced by anxiety. It was implicit in their deal he wouldn't leave the Dark Castle. Ever. Even if he was accompanied by the Dark One. He got up all ready to go, his heart racing of fear. He took a deep breath, having now mixed feelings. On one hand, he desperately wanted to go out. He wanted to see other faces and hear the noises of the market, people yelling, children laughing, dogs barking. He urged to see the novelties at the stalls. He dreamed with the smell of hot chocolate and sweet baked apple that hung in the air during this season. But he feared for the intentions the Dark One hid. He had to be careful and remain alert. The slightest mistake would cost him painfully.

Belle immediately noticed the tension in her slave when he returned. His earlier excitement had completely faded away. However his posture was as calm as ever, his eyes denounced fear. She had to admit it. Rumpelstiltskin was a clever man and he had already figured there was more to her little excursion than she revealed. Part of her grinned internally, while another part wished things could be different. That they were just going out for the sake of going out and nothing else.

Once both were ready, they stepped outside. It was, despite the cold air, a beautiful day, the skies were blue and the wind was a mere breeze. They walked a few steps, the snow cracking under their feet.

"Give me your hands." Belle instructed.

He obeyed and felt the same sickening feeling from when she teletransported him from his home village to her castle. And like the first time, when he thought he couldn't bear the dizziness anymore, it suddenly stopped and they weren't in the Dark Castle's grounds anymore. They were at the top of a small hill and just a bit below they could discern the dark wooden houses under white roofs with smoke coming up from the chimneys. Rumpelstitlskin's heart skipped a few beats and he gasped in bitter happiness.

"Khalsier." He whispered.

"You know the town?" Belle asked curious.

"I used to come here twice a year for trade. This month, for the selling of wool and in May, during the great spring festivities." The Dark One nodded and could sense the nostalgia and regret in his voice. He probably would see today some familiar faces. She grinned. This was perfect.

"Come, let's see what the vendors are selling today." Belle said, as she pushed her slave's arm.

He followed her with a painful smile on his face. This was a major market and prolonged itself for over a month. In this period people from all over the kingdom would come here for trade. If he hadn't made the deal, he would be now at home, spinning the last wool. He and Baelfire would travel shortly after with the villager's carpenter, who owned a self-made small wagon. They would stay a week in town, selling their wool and gathering money for the season.

They walked a while, until they reached the main square and entered the side streets, now adapted for the selling of all kind of winter articles. Rumpelstiltskin did his best to push aside his homesickness for this world and inspected, side by side his mistress, the diversity of products. During an hour they watched and commented the presented offers. Belle always demanded his honest opinion, which sometimes clashed with hers, causing heated discussions that ended up with annoyed groans from one and amused giggles from the other. He thought it was funny; she would smile when he disagreed with her. Wasn't a mistress expecting the slave to agree with everything? And since when did a mistress need the slave's opinion, in the first place?

"You have eye for detail and a good perception of beauty." She explained when she asked him which of the two necklaces she should buy, presenting them, one on each hand.

"Why don't you just buy both of them? You sure have the money." She lowered her arms, looking annoyed.

"It's more fun when we have to make a choice. So, which one do you like best?" She put the one necklace next to her face, then the other.

They were two totally different necklaces. One was exquisite, made of different precious stones and diamonds. It was certainly a very expensive necklace, created to impress the world. The other was simple of design, pure it its forms and simplicity, yet no less in beauty. He smiled realizing the two completely different necklaces matched the two antagonist natures of his mistress. He decided he preferred the second, matching with Belle, the princess's personality.

"That one." He said decidedly. The Dark One tiled her head a bit to the side. "I guess it's a pretty thing." She said.

"It's lovely! Or do you prefer the other?"

"No." She said with a sincere smile. "I like it. I'll take it." She turned to the vendor to pay for the beautiful adornment she was acquiring.

Rumpelstiltskin was looking around while his mistress was busy and his eyes recognized a familiar face. He saw it by a stall a bit further away, selling articles made of wool. Tobias was a trader in clothing. During the winter season he sold woolen and leather garments. For the last four years, Tobias had become a faithful client of his, who valorized the good quality and resistance of his spun wool. His heart started beating frantically. Tobias hadn't seen him yet. He looked from his mistress to Tobias. He needed to talk with him. He needed to know if he had news from Baelfire. But he didn't want his mistress to know. He was certain that any attempt to have contact, direct or indirect with his son, would anger the Dark One.

"Well, what do you think?" His troubled thoughts were suddenly broken by the exact person that stood in the way between him and the wool trader. She proudly exhibited her new necklace, a beautiful flower design with azure petals and a small diamante in its centre. It matched beautifully with her ocean blue eyes and contrasted nicely with her white creamy skin.

"Ah, a perfect match." He said appreciatively. She smiled happily and had to resist the urge of kissing him in public. Few traders knew she was the Dark One, since they came and went, but some residents had come to realize who this woman was, that visited their little town now and then. So instead, she grabbed his arm by the wrist.

"Let's see what's over there."

Rumpelstiltskin had to hide his anxiety, as she pointed the street where Tobia's stall was. He needed to find a distraction, something that bought him time and allowed him to separate of his mistress for a few minutes. His prayers were answered, when Belle stopped at a stall quite close to Tobias'. It sold all kinds of mineral stones and she started examining the amber section with a selective eye. This was his opportunity. He had studied her enough today to realize she would be busy a while. Slowly, he took a few silent steps back and made his way quickly to Tobias stall, constantly checking if his mistress wasn't looking.

"Tobias!" He whispered. The vendor was piling some garments and nearly lost his balance. All the blood of his face drained down when he recognized the spinner.

"Rumpel! I thought…"

"I have little time." Rumpelstilskin gestured with his head in Belle's direction. Tobias looked at her and then with great incredibility at the spinner.

"Is that?"

"Yes…I need to know…Have you seen Bae?" Tobias saw the concern in his former work-associate and took pity for the man. He nodded. "How is he?"

"Given the circumstances, quite well. Your neighbors, the Sonyards, have been helping him a lot." Rumpelstiltskin almost cried of relieve, the guilt and sorrow building up. He looked at Belle. She was still examining the amber stones, unaware of his absence. "He continued with your trade, you know?" Tobias added and picked up a chocolate brown woolen scarf. My wife made this scarf with his spun wool."

Rumpelstiltskin held the scarf with wonder and great care, like if it was the world's frailest object. He examined the thread and felt its softness between his fingers. It was spun exactly the way he taught his boy. He felt pride burst in his chest and sorrow for not being able to tell his son the great job he was doing. He lifted his head to say something, but his eyes met cold blue orbs staring back at him. His heart started beating crazily and he lost all the color on his face.

"Found something you like?" Belle asked, with an overly sweet voice, but he could see the iris already expanding. He looked at the scarf and back to her. She looked at it too and her smile grew wicked. She took it from his hands and put it over his head, covering his neck. "It suits you. You should get it; we don't want you to get sick again, do we?" She spoke with such a fake sweetness; he knew he was in deep trouble. "How much for the woolen scarf?" She demanded in an authoritative manner. Tobias looked troubled and hesitant, not knowing if he should or not charge for the scarf. Rumpelstilskin nodded slowly, indicating he should.

"That would be two crowns, Miss." He said politely, but was unable to hide his nerves in his shaky voice and trembling hands when he received the coins. Belle came closer, the moment the money was being exchanged and whispered.

"You never saw me, understood?" Tobias, who was now as white as a ghost nodded wide eyed and the Dark One grinned contented. She grabbed Rumpelstiltskin's arm and guided the man out of there. The wool trader didn't miss the look of fear in the other man's eyes just before they left. He could only imagine the trouble the spinner had gotten into.

…

Rumpelstiltkin flew some meters in the air and fell with his face on the cold and wet snow.

"Now, let me explain you a few things, Rumpelstiltskin." The Dark One said as she slowly walked to him. He quickly stood up and turned around. "I just placed an incantation on this charming alley so nobody can see us or hear us." Rumpelstiltskin's fears were stirring up, the memories of her beating returning and sensing this time it would be much worse. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's up to you, actually. So, to begin. Do you know that man?" Rumpelstiltskin was terrified. He could not let the truth slip out. Tobias would suffer the consequences. Bae would suffer.

"No." He said while he shook his head.

"LIAR!" The Dark One stretched her arm and her fingers were like claws. Rumpelstiltskin felt suddenly a horrible pain spread through his body, like if all of it was convulsing in cramps, the muscles burning under an invisible energy. He let out a scream. "Tell me the truth or your suffering will be worse." Rumpelstilskin was in so much pain, he could not produce any coherent words and contorted in his own body, laying in agony on the cold snow, letting out cries of pain. She released him from the pain and he panted, emitting muffed moans of agony.

"Do you know the wool vendor?" She asked again as she slowly paced around Rumpelstiltskin curled body.

"I-I barely know him…I-I saw him once or twice during the market seasons!" He lied, hoping the woman would believe him. She eyed him suspiciously. Her claws closed a bit on themselves, increasing the pain in Rumpelstiltskin's body, feeling like if a thousand knifes were being pierced, feeling like he was being slowly torn apart. She watched with cruelty him scream desperately and contort painfully of agony, until he had tears flowing down his face.

"Tell me the truth!" She bended over him and whispered in his ear, pausing the torture to let him breathe.

"He's a costumer!" He yelled, his hands shaking, trying to block another invisible blow. The Dark One's eyes shrunk and she lifted her right hand, preparing to attack again. "He used to buy wool from me! For his winter collection!" He panted miserably. "He's from one of my neighboring villages."

"What were you two talking about?" She wondered out loud. She crouched and caressed the woolen scarf, still wrapped around his neck. "You were a spinner once. Tell me. Who spun the wool of this scarf?" She looked at him coldly and so determined, he instinctively knew she already had the answer.

"My son…My son spun the wool for this scarf." He said, letting some tears of regret escape.

"You were trying to send a message to your son."

"I was merely asking how my boy is!" Rumpelstiltskin spat with an uncharacteristic bitterness and the Dark One was taken aback.

"You wanted to check if he was alive?"

"No! I know you always honor your deals. I knew he was alive. I just wanted to know if he was okay. That was all! I swear it. I wasn't trying to communicate with him. I'm concerned as a father about my son's well being since he is forced to survive by his own!" He yelled angrily between his tears and the Dark One could see in his eyes he was telling the truth.

"Do you regret?"

"No, Belle. I do not regret. I just worry terribly about him. Every single day!"

"If I would let you go, if I gave you freedom back, you would return to your son?" Rumpelstiltskin stared saddened at her. If she should propose such a thing he would be divided. But he knew exactly what he would choose.

"If it wouldn't have any repercussions on our deal, then yes. I would return to my boy." He whispered, unable to face her, missing the saddened look in her eyes.

Belle released him and stood up again. She had gotten what she wanted. The truth was out. And now she knew exactly what she could expect of him.

"Then it's a pity for you. I'm not letting you go anywhere."

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	13. Duality

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* * *

The rest of the day had been awkward. They remained in the market a while longer because the Dark One still needed to buy some items. After their confrontation in the alley, they spoke no more about the matter. But the tension hung between them. The Dark One went on with her shopping and her slave, too hurt and too tired to try anything foolish, followed her like a shadow. She could feel same melancholy she had sensed in him the first two months of his stay in the Dark Castle. The same silent sadness and internal suffering, which was actually more insupportable than any scream of pain. He obeyed her at all times, spoke to her when spoken and smiled kindly, but she knew the smile was empty and it never reached his eyes.

Once they were back in the Dark Castle, they avoided each other the rest of the day. Belle took refuge in her working room and concentrated on the building of her own personal spell. It was almost ready and it was the perfect distraction for now. Rumpelstilskin, on the other side, did his chores diligently, washing off the dust of long carpets, concentrating all his thoughts in his work. There was no singing; there were no pauses to admire the beauty in details, for he worked automatically. And after dinner, instead of sitting on his couch to listen his mistress reading him a book, he sought the room with the spinning wheel. He sat by it and let the wheel spin. He closed his eyes, listening at the sound of its motion. He closed his eyes visualizing his son spinning the thread that was used to nit a scarf he had now around his neck. He closed his eyes and let all his sorrow flow with the rhythm of the wheel, not realizing silent tears were washing down his face. He remained seated for a very long time, in the dark room, watching the wheel turn over and over again.

"Why do you sit so much by the wheel?" He heard his mistress voice, low and close to a whisper. She stood, arms crossed, against the door entrance. This time he didn't flinch and actually half expected her.

"I like to watch the wheel turn. It makes me forget." He spoke softly.

Belle had the urge to ask what he wanted to forget but resisted it. She knew after all, what he wanted to forget and realized, she too shared the same wish. She quietly entered the room and rested her hand on his, so he stopped with the turning of the wheel. She held his hand in hers and guided him out of the dark room. Rumpelstiltskin knew where they were heading to and in this particular night, he was not in the mood.

"Mistress." He sounded exhausted and defeated. "I don't think I can…" He let out a sigh. "I'm really tired."

"Take a bath. Afterwards we'll see."

…

The bath had been invigorating. It washed more than the dust off his skin. It washed the worries and the depression of the day off. She was gentle and her touch on his shoulders had a soothing and consoling effect. The more Rumpelstiltskin lived with this woman, the more he saw and understood her duality. It was like two persons were living inside one body. One was kind, the other cruel. And yet, it was like if these two completely different persons were one and the same, sharing the same interests, joys and pains. And these two personalities gave him mixed feelings. He wanted to be with Belle, forever, like he promised. And he wanted to be separated from the Dark One, freed from fears and pains. The more he learned about her, the more she confused him and the more he understood her. She was Belle, a beautiful person, kind and gentle. And she was the Dark One, the beast, a cruel and suspicious creature. Belle was always ready to forgive but the Dark One was always ready to strike. And his list of contradictions could go on forever. All he could conclude, was the more he spent time with her, the more he wanted to be with Belle. And the more he wished to depart from the Dark One. He could not live with her, but he could not live without her too. And it frightened him.

…

Her touch, her caresses, her kisses healed his soul, healed his heart. He wondered if she regretted, if she was able to feel guilt, because her soft kisses and tender touch seemed to be asking for forgiveness. They kissed forever. Small kisses, deep kisses. Slow and wonderful. They were engulfing in a perfect world of sensations. A world where all sad and cruel thoughts were banished. A world where only they existed and only they mattered. A world where he was just a man and she was just a woman. And so the sweet and tender sensations slowly evolved, giving place to more electrifying vibrations. The kisses and caresses became fierier and more consuming. Their bodies begged for each other's touch and all the past day troubles were forgotten between the cries of pleasure, forgotten while the couple danced a desperate passionate dance. The closer they were, the more they needed to feel the other. They clung at each other desperate, fingers deepening in their skins, the pounding increasing and intensifying by the minute. They screamed and moaned and grunted as they released. And collapsed holding each other still close, remaining a long time in the same position. Belle laying on her side, with her back against Rumpelstiltskin's chest, their bodies fitting perfectly on each other. He caressed her hair and planted soft kisses on her neck.

"I failed the test today, didn't I?" He whispered in her ear. She didn't answer. "One day you'll understand. When you'll have children of your own. You'll understand their value and the sacrifices you're willing to take for their sake." She blinked at his words and turned over to face him.

"What makes you think I would want to have children of my own?" She asked casually.

"Well, you never know. I mean, you have immortality. It can happen eventually, I guess. Your body is anyway ripe and ready." He said as he traced his fingers from her hip to her belly."

"Ripe?"

"Thirty is a good age. The body is stronger than when you're twenty and fitter then when you're forty."

"What a silly idea."

"Not silly. My wife was thirty when Bae was born."

"That's rather late to become mother for the first time." She noticed. He smiled, kissed on her temple and got out of the bed. He started dressing himself. Belle stared at him lazily, feeling sleep slowly creep in her.

"Well, we both got married later than what's usual. I was already over thirty."

"Why didn't you marry earlier?"

"It's stupid. Really." Rumpelstiltskin chuckled.

"I still want to know why." He looked at her, already fully dressed and sat on the edge of the bed, next to her.

"Well, I had this foolish wish of wanting to marry someone I loved. I refused for years any arranged marriage. But, true love never appeared. And Milah dreamt of a life full of exciting adventures, which never came. Our parents were desperate, seeing both their only child growing older and heirless. So, they made it an arranged marriage, one that would benefit both families. The union of the shepherd's daughter and the spinner's son."

"Did you learn to love her?"

"I think there was a time I believed I loved her…But I know better now. I did care about her, though."

"How did she die?" Belle asked already half asleep, but her never ending curiosity plaguing her mind. He bent and gave a tender kiss on her head.

"She died. That's all that matters."

…

Yesterday Belle acquired a crucial element for her own personal spell in the market. And today she cheered happily in her work room as she witnessed the nearing of the finalization for her challenging project. She quickly summoned a raven and attached a message on it. All she needed now was one final ingredient. And there was only person who could give it to her. She knew there would be reluctance and disapproval, but the item she hid on a small box would persuade ultimately. It didn't take long for the raven return with the response. The invitation was accepted.

"Today a guest is coming for the afternoon tea." Belle informed Rumpelstilstkin during lunch, who looked at her in curiosity, wondering if the guest was Jefferson or somebody else. "I want you to serve some small cookies and cakes with the tea. My guest is a lady of high standards and much more civilized than Jefferson, that I assure you."

…

The Dark One spent the rest of the afternoon curled on top of Rumpelstiltskin's blanked on his couch, enjoying the company of a book and the warmth of the fire. She had come quite attached to the couch, the presence and natural scent from her slave all over the place. Her reading was suddenly interrupted by a female voice.

"Good afternoon, Belle." The Dark One grinned. She got up and faced the taller and older woman, nevertheless beautiful and elegant.

"Glad you could make it, Maleficent." They kissed twice on the cheeks. "Please, take a seat. Tea will be served soon. My new slave is extremely punctual." Belle invited cordially gesturing to the long table. The Dark One sat as usual at the head of the table and Maleficent took the chair on her right.

"You acquired a new slave?" Maleficent asked curiously. "Another teenager you ripped away from some desperate soul?"

"Not quite. This time it was the desperate soul that sacrificed himself for the teenager."

"Interesting." Maleficent paused. "And what may be the cause of your invitation."

"It has to do with a spell."

"Of course. I hope is not that horrible curse you're brewing for Regina."

"No. This one is for my own personal use; although Regina's curse is developing quite nicely. According to my calculations, it will be ready by the end of next year."

"Really? You seem to forget one tiny but fundamental detail. That one ingredient you won't find in this or any other realm. Without it, you'll never be able to complete Regina's curse, which is, and I promise you, the best for everybody." Belle grinned at the other sorceresses' words. Maleficent seeing that confident look felt her own self-assured smile fade. Belle witnessed fear spread on her eyes. "No! You cannot possibly have found one. They are extinct for centuries already!"

"Apparently, there was one bloodline that survived unnoticed."

"So you got…"

"Three drops of blood from the most powerful and magical being that ever existed."

"How? Where did you find one?"

"I believe your question will be answered quite soon." Belle said with a smirk, leaning slowly back on her tall chair.

* * *

**The story is about to have a big turn in the events.**

**Stay put and please, do share your thoughts about this chapter.**

**Review :)**


	14. The Ritual

**Thank you: thedoctorsgirl42, MissiB, juju0268, Stargate533, TeamTHEFT, Ladii Emelia, Rumbellelover, LePetitErik, Grace5231973**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

The moment Belle spoke those words; Rumpelstiltskin opened one door with his foot and entered with the tea and some cakes. The Dark One grinned at the perfect timing. Her slave entered, not looking at the women and limited doing his task. And by doing so, he missed the way Maleficent's eyes followed him and her face turn to a sickening white shade. He quietly poured tea in the guest's cup and then in his mistress's, unaware of the shocking look he was receiving.

"Belle,_ this _is your new slave?" Maleficent asked, her eyes never leaving the man. Once he was finished with serving of the tea, he stood still, next to his mistress, waiting for further instructions. He kept his eyes low, not wanting to displease the Dark One in any possible manner.

"Yes." Belle said. Maleficent looked uneasy. She shifted slightly on her chair.

"Slave." Maleficent addressed him. "What is your name?" He hesitated, gave a quiet glance at Belle and she nodded.

"Rumpelstiltskin." He answered, his eyes always cast down.

"Rumpelstiltskin. Look at me." He obeyed timidly and lifted his eyes. Their gazes were locked for some seconds. He was wondering who this woman was. She did fit Belle's description of high standard. He wondered if she too was a sorceress like Belle. Maleficent, on the other hand, was studying him closely, scanning him from top to down, making it quite uncomfortable for the man. Meanwhile, Belle took some sips from het cup, watching the scene with delight.

"What's your age?"

"I'm fifty-one, m'lady." At this Belle choked on her tea. Both Rumpelstiltskin and Maleficent stared at her for a second, the former with a slight smile.

"You look younger." Maleficent translated the other woman's thoughts.

"I thank you for the compliment." He said with a teasing smile and bowed slightly. Maleficent looked at Belle, who was surprisingly flushed.

"You can go now, Rumpel." She said clearing her throat. With a small nod, he left the room quickly. There followed a moment of deep silence and tension. Maleficent was the first one to break it.

"Does he know?" Belle shook her head. "He's dripping in magic!"

"Yeah, I know. He's probably more powerful than you or Regina." Belle sounded quite proud.

"Where did you find him?"

"Actually, he's the one who found me. He summoned me. Made a deal with me to put an end to the Ogres Wars."

"How can you be sure he does not know? That he never used his powers before?"

"He might have used them once, but has no memory of it. Remember that strange fire attack on the ogres, some years ago."

"The one we weren't able to track down the source?" Maleficent gasped at the memory. "You think he did it?" Belle nodded, looking serious. "What do you intend to do with him?"

"Activate his powers, of course."

"Are you out of your mind? What is his element?"

"Fire."

"What? That's the most destructive and uncontrollable type!"

"And the most powerful."

"Belle, listen to me. His body will not be able to support all that suppressed magic accumulated in him. He's too small and too thin. Not to mention he surpassed the recommendable age long ago." Maleficent warned. "He'll self combust! His body will be ripped apart by fire and the damage will not be limited to him! "

"I know that. That's why I'll use my body to channelize his energies. And I'll be using water to counter its force."

"You don't know if it will work."

"I'm sure it will. Because I have something to keep it to a controlled level." Belle presented Maleficent a small beautiful amber stone. The blond sorceress looked at it with annoyance.

"So this is why you called upon me. What makes you think I will collaborate?"

"Because I have something you'll want." Belle opened a small box containing a small flask with a light bluish liquid. "It's a new and more sophisticated sleeping curse. Pour it in food and its victim with succumb into an eternal sleep. Subtle, eh? No need for the traditional messy blood method anymore." Belle grinned knowing the trade was too seductive to refuse. "I can imagine already, sweet Aurora sleeping so peacefully, for all eternity."

"Let's suppose you manage to activate his powers and you both survive it. What makes you think he won't turn against you?"

"I can control him. I made a binding spell." Maleficent's eyes grew wider.

"You do are aware of the consequences of a binding spell? You may have already fallen into your own web without even noticing."

"The feeling can only evolve if it's already there!"

"Still, even with a binding spell, he can become uncontrollable. Belle, they weren't destroyed for nothing! He's a Primordial, a descendent of the First People, a Force of Nature! Not even you can control him."

"You think he can become more powerful than me?"

"No, but powerful enough to mean trouble." Belle smirked at the thought. "Belle, please. Give up this madness…" Suddenly a horrible thought came to Maleficent's mind. "Does he have children?"

"A son. Didn't reach the adult age yet. But don't worry. It always skips one generation, so the kid is harmless. That's their weakness and that's how they were practically extinct. But I'm making sure his son grows to be a strong man so he can have many children." Belle smirked at Maleficent's shocked look. "So, do you want the new sleeping potion or not?" Defeated, Maleficent took the small amber stone on her hand, blew a flame into it and returned it to Belle. "Always a pleasure making business with you." The Dark One said, while she gave the other sorceress the flask with the potion.

"Be sure he wears it at all times, until he controls his powers fully."

"Do not worry. I will." Belle said with a wicked grin.

…

Belle sat in her room in front of the fireplace staring at its flames. On her hand was the amber stone she enchanted to activate the magical powers hidden for years in the slender slave. She could hear Rumpelstiltskin enter the water. She had planned this from the moment she saw him. The night he summoned her, she had sensed his overwhelming energy emanating from his body and couldn't believe her luck. A Primordial without magic activated was untraceable; it was like looking for a needle in haystack. But there he stood, oblivious of his capacities. The unlikely survivor of a very ancient bloodline. She looked at the stone and suddenly Belle was scared. It could go wrong. It could be fatal. But the Dark One's thirst for power was greater than any fear.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled when his mistress entered the water. He always enjoyed when she joined him. They ended up by never making it to the bedroom. The warm water stirred different sensations and its weightlessness brought a complete new dimension to their passions. Belle entered smiling, hiding her nerves. The water was pleasantly warm, but she knew soon it would be unbearably hot and she would have to use a lot of magic to keep the temperature down. She put her arms around her lover, felt his hands on her waist and they kissed long and leisurely.

"I have a present for you." She said when she felt his body was ready for hers. She made sure the amber stone was completely wet and put the band over his head. He stared at it and held the stone between his fingers.

"Why?"

"It's for protection. I plan to send you outside the castle's quarters in the future to…let's say, assist me with a couple of matters." Rumpelstitskin burrowed his brow for wasn't too enthusiast about this new chore, but his worries were quickly drowned by Belle's deeper kisses.

They kissed softly and while their bodies moved slowly, Rumpelstiltskin felt an unfamiliar fire grow in his chest. It was spreading through his body and tingling painfully under his skin. He could feel his heart beat increase and he was having difficulties in breathing. He wanted to depart from his mistress body, sensing something wrong was happening with his. But Belle, guided his body inside of hers, knowing he was feeling the first stages of the activation. For she too, could feel it.

"It's hot…Belle…It's too hot…" He whispered afflicted. He could feel he was losing control over his body. His brains were slowly shutting down, his ears drumming madly and heat was overwhelming him. "What's happening?"

Belle shushed him with soft kisses and guided him to continue moving in and out of her slowly. By each slow trust, a part of the too much accumulated magic passed throughout her body and the fire was put out as soon as it reached the water. With her magic, she decreased the water temperature constantly, since it warmed up again by each small release of power. Rumpelstiltskin moaned in pain. He held her close and tight, whispering confusing complaints. He was close to his delirious state of his last illness, the world transforming into a blur of overwhelming sensations. It lasted long, the small but electrifying trusts. But there was too much power built up in that small body and now it urged to be released.

Rumpelstitskin's body started moving at its own accord, the magic desperate to escape. Belle could see in his eyes she had lost him, the magic being stronger than his mind. He trusted faster, his throat creating painful grunts and moans. It was becoming more violent and Belle was losing her control over him. Using her body to channelize this fire and using magic to cool the water down was quickly consuming her body. She could see the amber stone glow like a little sun. Rumpelstiltskin released a groan as the magic started flowing faster in his veins, burning them painfully. His pounding became incoherent, the movements reacting according to the waves of magic that were being forcefully released. Belle widened her legs, to ease the pain. It was burning inside of her and she knew she would bleed. His whole body was burning up and suddenly she was reminded of Maleficent's words about self-combustion. But they had reached a point there was no turning back. So she accepted each painful blow, expelled the fire as quickly as she could from her body and wished for it to end soon.

Rumpelstiltskin released a loud agonizing scream and she saw flames appear in his eyes. He was in pain. He was in a lot of pain. And the only way of finding relieve was trusting desperately into her body. The air was damp and heavy, steam filling the room. Belle decreased the water's temperature so much, a layer of ice would form itself to be immediately melted by the heat of the fiery magic. It was becoming unbearable. It was becoming too violent. Belle cried out from the pain between her legs, the pain in her veins, the pain under her skin. She never expected to find this amount of magic hidden inside such a frail body.

Rumpelstitskin grunted and seemed to hold his breath when his skin started to radiate. Belle saw to her horror his skin gain the color of flames, his hair curl up. He was a Force of Nature and nature was taking over him. He screamed madly and an overwhelming wave of fire went through Belles' body. She thought she was going to die and watched in tears as Rumpelstiltskin pushed his head back revealing a red lump form under the skin of his chest to his neck. He opened his mouth and fire was vomited like a volcano in eruption. His whole body trembled, the fire blazing through the room, burning the walls, the furniture and the water. Belle felt one final trust and knew everything had been released. His body stopped. Belle watched with fear the full activation of magic working in Rumpelstiltskin. His skin wasn't glowing anymore, but had gained some sort of golden shade. He slowly straightened himself and she saw the long curls hang over his face. His eyes were closed and Belle's heart jumped when they shot open. They weren't the kind and warm brown eyes anymore. The flames in them had disappeared too. No. Instead, two overlarge orbs stared back at her, a mix of green and gold, eyes that reminded her of a magical forest. The unnatural eyes of the Primordial stared into those of the Dark One and he grinned. But the moment was lived very shortly. Belle witnessed the orbs shrink back to their normal size and return to deep brown. The hair uncurled itself and the skin returned back to his original color. Rumpelstiltskin sighed as his eyes rolled back into unconsciousness.

Belle held him in her arms, as he collapsed, keeping him from drowning. With the little energy she still had left, Belle extinguished the fire in the room and struggled to get Rumpelstiltskin out of the water. He lay unconscious on the cold floor, breathing peacefully. Belle's face contorted of pain as she passed her hand between her legs. She was bleeding quite a lot. She healed herself between soft sobs. It had worked. She managed to activate Rumpelstiltskin's hidden powers and transform him into a full Primordial. But she had paid the price. And so had he.

* * *

**So, my crazy idea of having a huge amount of dormant magic inside Rumpel's body is finally revealed! In his Dark One's form from the show.**

**What are your thoughts?**

**Please review :)**


	15. Magic

**Thank you all for your constant support and enthusiasm: MissiB, juju0268, TiaraRose, Stargate533, Ladii Emelia, Rumbellelover, RentFan27, Grace5231973, thedoctorsgirl42, EmilieVitnux, ujemaima, LePetitErik, TheFataMorgana, Tamha**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

Belle sat by the window and watched the tranquil nature under a blanket of pure white. She looked passed the window, took a sip of hot tea and sighed worriedly. Rumpelstitlskin was already two days out. He lay on his trusted couch in front of the hearth's warmth and had not woken up since the ritualized night. She had a book next to her, one of the few volumes with information about the First People. It was thought their race was extinguished for about 500 years ago, after a great and final battle between Primordials, mighty sorceresses and fairies. The First People were defeated and a horrible hunt followed. Innocent and defenseless children born from Primordials were mercilessly killed. What nobody knew was that, during 500 years, one bloodline managed to hide and survive and its existence persisted in oblivion during many centuries. But they merged with the common people in such a way that all their knowledge of their magnificent and powerful past was completely forgotten. Now the Dark One had brought the ancient race back to the world and was ready to surprise everybody with its magic. The Dark One was greedy for power and waited impatiently for the Primordial to wake up and rise, but Belle was worried.

She was worried with the physical effects the ritual had on Rumpelstiltskin. He was taking much longer to get better than she had expected, but then again, his body had hidden much more magic than she ever dared to suspect. She was worried with his reaction and most of all, she was worried with his training. Maleficent's warning words kept taunting her mind. _Even with a binding spell, he can become uncontrollable_. She needed more information about the First People and knew she would not find it in her Library. She would have to search in the Archive of Secrets in Hourglass City. And it was no treat traveling there. Jefferson having failed in finding the magical slippers, which would bring her in safety there and back, brought up a problem. And because it was Jefferson who failed his mission, she had decided to send him with his hat to the world where no time existed and find the one book she needed.

Belle's musings were interrupted when she heard some rustling coming from Rumpelstitlskin's couch. Every time he turned in his sleep, her heart skipped some beats in anticipation he would finally wake up. She put the book and tea cup on the table and walked a few steps to check on the man. She smiled relieved when she saw his eyes open and blink weakly.

"Hey, how do you feel?" She tried to sound neutral and hide her past days worries. He looked still very tired, pale and had dark rings under his eyes. The ritual had consumed his body quite literally.

"What did you do to me?" He whispered exhausted, but the accusation was clear.

"You shouldn't talk. Come, sit up. You need to eat." She summoned a plate of soup. Despite the unpleased look he gave her, he obeyed.

He released a painful groan when he tried to sit up and fell back to his lying position, his arms around his chest. Belle was slightly frightened. It had been the area where the most fire had concentrated, mainly before the great outburst. He had his eyes shut hard and was already sweating from the pain. The Dark One rested her hands inches apart from his thorax area and a soft blue light emanated during a while until the damage was healed. Rumpelstiltskin's face relaxed as the pain vanished and he looked at her.

"What did you do to me?" He sounded both scared and angry. Belle didn't answer immediately. Instead she picked up the plate of soup and handed it to him, which he reluctantly accepted. She sat a while next to him with her hands on her lap, choosing the right words.

"You remember I once mentioned many people have magic inside of them and don't even know it?" Rumpelstiltskin nodded, while he took a spoon of soup. "Well, you are one of those people. Actually, there is quite an amount of magic flowing inside of you." He froze and lifted an eyebrow, clearly not believing what he was hearing and stared back at the beauty with suspicion. "So I…let's say, I managed to release the magic that was trapped inside of you." Rumpelstitlskin's eyes widened a bit, full of incredulity and the soup was forgotten.

"Get out of here! Me? Magic?"

"That's why I gave you this." She pointed at the amber stone. "To level your powers to a safe point."

"Level my powers?"

"I released the magic, but now you need to learn to control it. This amber stone is enchanted and it will balance the magic inside of you and protect you and others from it." He was about to say something, but Belle cut him first. "You see, when magic is released radically like in your case, it exists in its crude form, which can be dangerous. You don't know how to handle it yet and so the magic can become unpredictable. The reason you must never take that off until you have full control of your capacities."

"Wait, wait, wait! You mean to tell me I have magic inside of me? That I had it all my life? How is it possible I never noticed anything?"

"Magic is not something you use easily. It demands a lot of concentration and control from our mind and body. You didn't know you had it so you never used it. You couldn't use it anyway because you never tried to."

"And why release it all in one time? Why not train little by little?"

"Because you had passed the age of training quite a long time. Ideal is between fifteen and twenty-five." He looked shocked at her.

"The burning sensation, i-it felt like fire…I was in fire!"

"The burning sensation was the magic being forcefully released. The rest, I'm afraid was a dream. You were quite delirious during the process." Belle thought it was best he didn't know all details. He was out of danger now, no need to upset him anymore than he already was.

"You could have gotten me killed, right?" He asked earnestly. Belle hesitated, almost afraid of telling him the truth.

"Right."

"May I know why? Why you had the need of releasing all of that magic out of me?"

"The motives are my business."

"Don't I have any saying in this? You could at least have informed me! It is my body after all!" The Dark One frowned upset as the man's voice rose.

"You are my slave! I do whatever I want with my property! Now eat up that soup. I want you recovering fast so we can start with the training." She spoke coldly, clearly upset, got up and exited the room without adding a word.

Rumpelstiltskin was left behind confused and scared. The thought of having an untamed force residing inside of him didn't make him feel safe at all. And being dependent of a stone around his neck didn't really put his mind to rest. He was terrified about these powers and was not really looking forward to learn how to use them. But all these things, he knew he could eventually accept and learn to live with them. But knowing he was nothing but the Dark One's property made him feel hollow at once. Her words had hurt. He stared at the soup regrettably and took a spoon of it. It was cold, just like she was cold. And so he placed it back on the table and lied down, not noticing the tears that had already escaped his eyes.

…

"You have to concentrate. Focus." Belle instructed Rumpelstitlskin.

He had recovered quite fast, mainly due to the magical healing and was the next day already busy with his training. I didn't surprise him the Dark One was impatient to have him learning to handle his magic and put therefore all his daily chores aside. He had come to learn the Dark One, during the few months of his stay in the castle, as one to be quickly attracted to power. Patient as life had taught him to be, Rumpelstiltskin ended up accepting the circumstances he found himself in and thought maybe he could win something out of it. After all, it was not everyone who wielded magic. But he still couldn't accept Belle's cold words and shake the numb feeling it caused. So, Rumpelstitlskin acted rather distant towards his mistress. He obeyed and did everything she asked as always, but the usual spontaneity and smiles weren't present today. Belle, of course, noticed the tension immediately but preferred to ignore it. She figured out he was still upset because she didn't consult him in these matters. She had convinced herself he had indeed nothing to say. That it was truly _her right_ to do whatever she wanted with him, so the awkward feeling would disappear. He was her personal project and the less he knew about his true nature, the better. So, Belle focused in the training and wiped any alien feelings away, because she didn't understand them and didn't want to either. For these strange feelings scared her and, therefore made her vulnerable. And that was one thing the Dark One could never accept to be.

"Don't forget to breathe." She continued.

Rumpelstitlstkin and Belle were in her workplace, at the tallest tower of the castle. He had been staring already about half an hour at a small ceramic plate she wanted him to move from one side of the table to the other. His arm was hanging in the air, his hand open, as Belle had instructed, but the plate didn't move an inch.

"Oh, this is ridiculous! I cannot move the bloody thing! It's impossible!" Rumplestitlskin finally snapped, his head was starting to throb and his cheeks felt hot from the concentration.

"It is possible. Look, you just have to let the magic flow. Like this." Belle explained, making the small plate slide from one point of the table and back to Rumpelstiltskin.

"Yeah, well, you make it look easy. I bet I can stand here the whole day, staring at the damn thing and it will not move!"

"It will move." Belle insisted patiently. "You just have to believe you can. And stop holding it back."

"I'm not holding it back."

"Yes you are. You are afraid. That's why nothing is happening. You have to let go of those fears. The magic is part of you, lives inside of you. Accept magic and you'll feel it. You'll wield it." Rumpelstiltskin looked disbelieving at her. He shook his head after another fruitless attempt.

"Maybe this magic wasn't inactive for nothing. I'm obviously not able to put it to work!" He groaned discouraged. Belle smiled at his frustration, finding he looked quite cute when annoyed. She came to stand next to him and rested her hand on his arm. She immediately felt him tense. His bad mood was too standing in the way of his trainings.

"You have to relax. Breathe in and out. Let the magic flow in your veins." She said as her hand travelled down his arm to his hands and brushed his fingers, imitating magic's motion. "Let yourself go in this flow. Let your instincts guide you along... Actually, it's like making love."

"Is it as much fun as making love?" He asked still irritated, but now with a hint of a smile.

"Once you get the hang of it, it can be quite fun." She said seductively. Their gazes were locked for some moments, the electricity already forming in the air, but Belle broke it. "So, relax and focus. Accept the magic in you. It is part of you and won't hurt you. I promise."

Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes and took a few deeps breaths. He tried to relax his mind, his muscles, he tried to empty his head from any thought and concentrate only on the little piece of ceramic on the table. His eyes were fixed on the plate and he felt something trembling inside his arm and his heart skipped a few times.

"Let the flow go, the funny feeling in the arm is normal." Belle said as she sensed the magic in him wanting to work.

He took another couple breaths and focused again. He felt the strange feeling return in his veins and realized it did not feel awkward at all, by the contrary. It felt good. Feeling his heart beat faster, this time of excitement, he watched the plate shake slightly on the table.

"You're doing it! Concentrate. Let the magic flow." She instructed, equally excited.

The small plate slowly and hesitantly slid a bit on the table. Suddenly Rumpelstiltskin felt a wave of magic go through his arm and the plate flew in the air and hit the wall, breaking into a thousand little pieces. Rumpelstiltskin, shocked, covered his mouth and stared wide eyed at Belle. She was staring too surprised at the small pieces of ceramic lying on the floor. After a while she turned to him with a wide smile.

"You did it! You wielded magic!" She was so excited she was jumping up and down like a child and Rumpeltitlskin was relieved she wasn't angry and laughed because of her reaction. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed quickly a few times. "Now all you have to do is control your force."

He smiled truly satisfied with his first successful, although destructive, wielding of magic. Now he had proven himself he truly could wield magic, he felt motivated. But above all, that wave of magic flowing out of his arm had felt really good, almost ecstatic and he wanted to feel it again. Maybe, possessing magical powers was fun after all.

* * *

**So, what do you think?**

**Please review :)**


	16. Winter Solistice

**I truly apologize for my delay with this chapter. The last three weeks were crazy, with lots of works and dead-lines (don't you just love them?) so it has been difficult to find time and concentration to write. There is still quite some work ahead, but hopefully the worst is behind me (Oh God, let me be right!)**

**Thank you for your always kind reviews: MissiB, Eyes like Dawn, Dame, Stargate533, TiaraRos, juju0268, thedoctorsgirl42, Ladii Emelia, ujemaima, Rumbelle4ever, Grace5231973**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin was already two weeks training intensively his magic. The Dark One was growing impatient with the too small progress, wishing to see the true potential of her slave's hidden powers. He had to start with small things, like moving objects around, teletransporting them from one place to the other, transforming shapes and summoning things. The first try-outs were always horribly frustrating, taking a long time for him to summon and master the magic inside of him. Often, when the magic finally flowed in his veins, or it came out too weakly and barely had effect, or it came with such a brutal force, it caused irreparable destruction. It was for Rumpelstiltskin extremely difficult to find the balance in his magic. Belle feared he was intimidated by his own uncontrolled outbursts of power, making him too hesitant, insecure and continually holding back the magic.

Then there was the other problem. Age. Most sorcerers of Rumpelstitlskin's age chose to retire, like Maleficent. He wasn't a young pupil like Cora and Regina had been, and therefore his efforts were double and the results minimal. Rumpelstiltskin needed a great deal of concentration and his mind and body frequently felt exhausted after several unsuccessful tries. Belle never thought it would be so difficult to teach him how to use magic. But he was persistent and when he finally figured out how to summon and balance the magic inside of him, he perfected it until the Dark One was fully satisfied with the results. But progress was still very slow.

Next to magic, Rumpelstiltskin was also learning how to read. There was only so much Belle could teach him, but he still needed to study individually and gain as much knowledge as possible about this art. The more he knew and understood about magic, the better he would use it. But unlikely the wielding of magic, the man had showed nothing but pure enthusiasm and was absolutely fascinated with the new world that was opening before him. He had been absolutely thrilled when the symbols he had often seen but never carried a meaning for him suddenly gained sense, forming a sound, a word. For him, this was the real magic and, although Belle was marveled with his fast progress in reading and writing, the Dark One craved for faster improvements in magic wielding. The reason she, one early morning, hours before dawn, woke up Rumpelstitlskin.

"Rise and shine! Go get your cloak and boots. Quickly!" She had said overenthusiastic. Rumpelstiltskin needed some seconds to wake up properly and was confused.

"But mistress, it's still dark."

"I know! I want to be there before the sun rises."

Both entered a cold white world under a clear starry sky. Rumplestitlskin automatically shrunk from the cold, as he felt the chilly wind brush his hair. Why she insisted walking was a mystery to him. They could very well just teletransport to the place and get on with whatever she wanted to do. Belle had a beautiful green cloak with leave patterns and a light blue dress under it. It didn't look very warm but she didn't seem to be affected by the cold, which somehow irritated Rumpelstitlskin.

"Is it still far?" He asked after they had walked about an hour. His hands and feet were frozen and his stomach was complaining they left without eating anything. They had left the castle grounds, walked through its tall black gates and were wandering between the naked trees of the surrounding woods. They walked with difficultly on the thick blanket of snow, which was about a meter high now, making it harder to move properly.

"It's on the top of this small hill." She said, never losing her good mood.

Rumpelstiltskin saw the black form of the hill against the dark blue sky and he thought it was all but small. He cursed his luck internally, wishing to be back on his comfy couch under his warm blanket. He tugged his cloak closer to his body and followed his too cheerful mistress. It took another half an hour, before they reached the top. He was truly surprised with what he saw.

"I didn't know you had a circle of stones so close to the castle." He said as he watched the ancient group of monoliths rise in the snow. He could see from here the castle, far away. The rest of the world was nature and solitude. The sky was slowly becoming lighter and soon the sun would rise.

"Do you know what day is today?" Rumpelstitlskin gave a little thought at the question, easily losing track of the days since he arrived in the Dark Castle.

"Wednesday?"

"No, well, actually yes. But what I meant was the date."

"21st December." He said.

"Yes. The shortest day of the year and the longest night. Winter solstice." She said with enthusiasm. "Today is the day an old year ends, when the winter begins and nature dies."

"That's pretty…morbid."

"It's one of the important cycles of nature. After life comes death and after death comes rebirth. Nature dies in the winter, the grounds are barren and the trees naked. A new beginning always starts in the end. Spring. Rebirth. " She explained with some passion.

"Fascinating. Now, can we please go back home? It's freezing out here!" Belle had to smile when he referred the castle as _home_ and wondered if he realized what he had just said. She turned to the stones and suddenly grasped his hand in excitement.

"It's starting! The sun is rising!"

Rumpelstiltskin looked at the direction she pointed to and saw the first light of the day shyly raise in the horizon. His eyes followed awestruck as the dim yellow orb appeared exactly between the stones opposite him. A set of three large monoliths, two standing up and one lying on top of them, reproduced the effect of an open door and he watched the yellow warm orb enter it, stretch its arms through the opening until its fingers reached him and gently caressed his face. He gasped deep as he felt a new tingling slowly spread through his body and closed his eyes for moments, enjoying the feeling. This was what the Dark One had intended. To stimulate the magic inside of him, let it flow more freely and unforced so he could master it easier.

"Can you feel it?" He asked as he slowly pulled his head slightly back, enjoying the magic filling him. His eyes were gently shut and lived an internal relaxing feeling. It was like being drunk, when the fruity wine warmed the veins and smoothed the body to a tranquil state. Belle smiled amused, not really expecting this kind of effect on him. "Can you hear it?"

"Hear what?" She asked with a frown. The world around them was silent.

"The drums." He said with a whisper. He opened his eyes and images flashed before them. He could see small fires between the large stones; he could see people dressed in warm animal skins walking the outer part of the circle, like in a procession. There were chants, dances and drumming. The images came and went and he almost lost his balance so Belle had to support him.

"Are you alright?" She asked concerned. His eyes were momentarily unfocused but slowly became clear again.

"There were ceremonies taken place here. Long ago." He stated in a whisper and Belle could sense the wonder and excitement in his voice.

"Yes. Fertility rituals were made here. But that was centuries ago. From even before my time." Rumpestiltskin's eyes widened slightly when he saw blood on the snow.

"There was blood?"

Belle was becoming more and more confused. How did he know these things? She stared at his eyes and saw them go from focus to unfocused and realized he was having visions of a long distant past. She was a bit worried; never expecting his magic would have this effect on him. Her intention was to bring him to the sanctuary, a place with an ancient history of magic, in a day when the magical energies were intensified by the solstice. She had thought it would offer the ideal environment for him to train his magic. But ancient magic was different than any other kind of magic and even the Dark One couldn't perceive it. She could sense a faint energy around her, but it was too soft, too smooth to discern. So, unknowingly, Belle gave into superior powers and did exactly what the sanctuary wanted. She stayed.

"In ancient times, in every winter solstice, a virgin girl and a virgin boy were selected for the fertility ritual. Ritualized trials pointed them out as the strongest links of the clans and they would be brought by a procession to the circle of stones. Only they were allowed to enter the interior of the circle, it's most sacred area. Guided by the sound of chants and music, they would prick a finger and shed some drops of blood."

"Because life is born from blood." He said vaguely.

"Yes, it was a symbol for the fertilization of the earth."

"Show me how it was done." He whispered with his eyelids half closed.

Belle was apprehensive about reproducing any part of the ceremony. Her brains were yelling to leave the place, but she had not realized she had come to the sanctuary in a day when the energies were too strong, too ancient and too mysterious for her to handle. Because the magic of this old sanctuary was older than the Dark One. It had already engulfed the couple in its subtle but powerful net. No one, not even the Dark One, could resist this magic. With trembling hands, Belle summoned a small knife and made a small cut on her finger. She watched the red drops fall on the white snow and gave the knife to her slave. He reproduced her gesture and his blood merged with hers on the white now red stained blanket. Belle gasped a bit afraid, finally sensing the grasp of magic around her.

"We should leave." But Rumpelstitlskin was already too engulfed by the sanctuary's wishes and slowly entered a deep and relaxed state of unconsciousness.

"Can you hear them?...The drumming? It's becoming louder." Only now did Belle realized he had entered into a state of trance without her noticing. He was beyond her control now. She felt a shiver go down her spine. She realized she had fallen into a trap and now there was no escape. The sanctuary wanted something from her and Rumpelstitlskin and was determined to get it. "Tell me, what happens afterwards?" He spoke in a soft voice. Belle cursed internally as she felt impelled to answer him.

"The shaman would sing magical words and music would accompany his cries while he activated the most powerful spell in the world."

"What are the words?" His deep brown eyes looked at her in haziness.

"_Behold she, who is pure like the snow._

_Behold he, who is pure like the white._

_Pure is stained._

_Red blood brings death._

_Behold she, who is full of life._

_Behold he, who brings new life._

_Pure is stained._

Red blood brings life.

_For rebirth can only exist after death_."

Rumpelstiltskin kissed her passionately and part of Belle wanted to push him away and flee from the place. But the invisible fingers of ancient magic crept from beneath the earth into their longing bodies. He had already surrendered to the will of the sanctuary and deepened the kiss, caressing her body with his keen hands. She could feel herself slowly subdue to the ancient energies, her body needing his, begging for his touch.

"What happened next?" He asked while he lifted her, so she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her, walking a few steps.

"The music halted, the chanting ended and the procession left the two virgins in the circle of stones." Rumpelstiltskin carried Belle to a lying flat stone in the middle of the circle and gently rested her on it, so she lay on the stone on her back.

"And then?"

"He laid her on the altar and deflowered her."

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**Ancient Santuary 1 Dark One 0**

**I made up the crazy prayer/chant. I guess I inspired in the song "Mother Nature" (Withim Temptation), the movie with Gary Oldman "Bramstock's Dracula" and too many documentaries about Stonhenge and other stone circles!**

**So, are are your thoughts about this chapter?**

**Please review :)**


	17. The Primordial

**Thank you for your reviews: Rumbelle4ever, juju0268, MissiB, Ladii Emelia, BlueBenny, thedoctorsgirl42, Tenshi Chupip, Grace5231973, ctdg, ujemaima**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Rumpelstiltskin quickly removed her underwear, his mind drunk by the magic emanating from the earth, from the stones and from the sun rays. He didn't give her time to prepare and entered her unexpectedly, causing a yell of surprise and pain under him. He pushed his hardened length all the way up her body and remained a few seconds still, letting her body relax around him. Belle released a shaky breath, as Rumpelstiltskin started moving slowly inside of her. Their clothes remained on, their task not being the one of pleasuring each other, but pleasuring the ways of nature. It was not passionate sex, it was not love-making. It was mating. Two bodies engaged in an act that had one single purpose. Reproduction.

Belle's mind had been reluctant, the warnings of danger telling her to run away and not give into her bodily urges. But today her mind was not strong enough and she allowed her lover to pound her generously and willingly. She moaned, letting the pleasure take control of her. Part of her cursed herself for being so weak, but the other part surrendered to all basic instincts and accepted with all eagerness the will and plan of nature. They kissed and touched while he trusted, building up the necessary pressure for his release. The feeling between her legs, the incessant in and out movements, the heat of his breath, his warm weight on her body, his kisses and soft nibbling on her skin around her neck were driving her insane. Belle didn't care anymore to where this was taking them. She wanted him, desired him, needed him. And so she gave herself completely to him, mind, body and soul, just like he gave himself completely to her.

"I love you!" He moaned afflicted when his mind was completely overwhelmed by the consuming pleasure of his release. Belle widened her eyes at the confession and moaned fervently, feeling a new kind of pleasure invade her. He filled her inside and she knew she could not avoid pregnancy. The ancient magic of the sanctuary had had its will.

Belle had no idea how long they laid on the altar, immobile and silent. She felt exhausted. His confession was burning in her ears and she wondered if he even realized what he had said. But her mind was weary and she dozed off for a while. When she slowly woke up, she thought it odd that she felt a pleasant heat surround her, instead of the cold air she had expected. She slowly opened her eyes and suppressed a scream. Rumpelstiltskin was still lying on top of her, staring fixedly at her with large orbs of golden and forest green. He slowly backed out a bit, giving her more space and looked apprehensive. She looked better at him. The odd greenish golden skin color from the other night had returned, as well as the curls on his brown hair. She noticed the small amber was glowing slightly, the flame Maleficent had spat, dancing happily inside the stone. Only now did she realize he was the one producing the warmth around her.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" She asked a bit afraid.

The night she released his full powers, he had existed in this form for only a few seconds. But now he seemed to be fully aware and in control of his magic. She had no idea what to expect of him and Maleficent's warnings, together with her instincts, told her she could be in dangerous grounds.

"Yes." He whispered, concern never leaving his strange eyes.

"What happened to you?"

"This is me in my full state of magic." He stated like if it was the most obvious thing in the world in a high-pitched tone. He must have read some of her anxiety in her face. "What's the matter, Oh mighty Dark One? Wasn't this was you wanted?" Belle could feel her heart beat faster and breathing accelerate. His initial apprehensive look faded away and was replaced by an ugly sneer.

"You are not Rumpelstiltskin!" She whispered frightened and tried to get from under him. But he seemed to have other plans for her and grasped her by the wrists, pinning her against the stone.

"You know what's funny about you? You are always so hungry for more power." He said, his face inches of Belle's, his hot breath filling the air around them. "But when you see it, you back away."

"I am not afraid!" She said determinately. He grinned and it definitely wasn't Rumpelstitstin's smile.

"Of course not." He whispered in her ear and she knew he didn't buy it.

"Who are you?" She asked while she tried to get free from his grasp, without any success.

"I am Rumpelstitlskin, dearie!" He said in his high-pitched voice and in a singing mocking manner. "I am the magic inside of me. I am… my subconscious."

"W-What do you mean?"

"I am the part of myself that has no fears! The part that doesn't care what it takes to get what I desire, even if it means walking over others. I am the part that knows and masters the power inside of me and wields it to protect or hurt others." He whispered in her ear, his breath hotter than normal. She felt cold chills go down her spine, not quite liking what the magic was doing to her slave.

"Rumpelstiltskin doesn't think like that!"

"Oh no, dearie." He lifted up a bit and emitted an insane giggle. "Never in my normal and conscientious state of mind!" He mockingly said, his index in the air. Then he looked down at her and his index reproduced his gaze's movement. "You see, I was dormant all these years. I was sleeping somewhere trapped inside a mind that couldn't acknowledge me. I was trapped in a body that couldn't sense me."

"I-I don't understand…Are you another personality of Rumpel?" Again he giggled, but this time it sounded more bitter than amused. He smiled sadly and the concern from a while ago returned. This look was more of Rumpelstitlskin's.

"No, Belle." He said while he caressed her face gently. "It's me. But in the state of full activation of magic." Belle could feel the tears form in her eyes. She was starting to understand it was much more than hidden powers she had unleashed from the depths of her slave. She had toyed with superior forces and its effects were now irreversible and permanent.

"It's you, yes. I-I recognize you." She said fighting the tears back. She took a deep breath and felt a bit more confident. "But yet, you are not quite yourself, are you?"

"This magic, here, is very old. Ancient. It goes all the way back to the First Days." He explained, his voice a bit deeper and closer to his original tone. He had released his strong grip from her wrists and his hands played now with her hair. "It somehow pulled out my subconscious state of mind and allowed it to coexist with my conscious one. What I mean is, the part of me that you know is the conscious one, the part that exists during the state of wakefulness. The man molded by past experiences and society. The other part exists as intuition and works through instinct, dreams and magic. This…" And he made a wide circle gesture with his hand. "This is not supposed to be possible. I am not supposed to be able to perceive all my subconsciousness with the clarity I perceive right now."

"Do you know what you are?"

"No. But I already figured out I'm not quite the regular guy. I was hoping you could enlighten me." Belle hesitated. He sounded quieter, the irritation from a while ago vanished, but the sneer still returned now and then during his speech. "You can tell me. It's not like I'm going to remember later on anyway."

"What do you mean?" Rumpelstiltskin giggled again, the mad and amused giggle.

"Dearie, I'm only like this because of the sanctuary's magic! The moment we step out of here, I'll go back to my normal self and I'll be lucky if I have any vague recollection of what is going on here!"

"Why do you want to know then, if you'll forget it anyway?"

"Do me that favor, will you? Right now I'm perfectly conscious of what is going on and I would like to know whatever it is you got out of me that other night! I don't care if I forget it later on. It's now that matters!" He told her with his unpleasant sneer. Belle again hesitated, but then again, he had a point.

"You are a Primordial." She said dryly. Belle was sure if he could become pale, taking his expression right now, he would.

"Primordials are extinct. For centuries already."

"Apparently there was one bloodline that survived." There was a heavy silence. She could see his pupils dilate a bit, his frown deepen and he gave an ugly sneer.

"What do you plan doing with me?" He shrunk his eyes dangerously and his dirty teeth were exposed like a wild animal showing its fangs.

"I was hoping you could help me handle with some deals. Be a sort of…assistant to me."

"Mmm… you make it sound like a promotion."

"Maybe it is." Rumpelstiltskin seemed to be pleased with the thought and grinned in wonder.

"No more cooking?" Belle released a joyful giggle at his quip. He sounded like a child asking a parent to be dismissed from an unpleasant task.

"No more cooking. I promise." She amusedly said and he grinned satisfied. He kissed her gently, a soft touch on their lips. She smiled happily, realizing her fears from before were uncalled for. He was still Rumpelstiltskin, always Rumpelstitlskin. He looked at her with his head slightly to the side, a smile of marvel on his lips.

"I do not repel you?" He asked, obviously aware of his unpleasant appearance. She took a good look at him for the first time. Yes, his eyes were odd, overly large, his teeth yellow and looking rotten. His skin looked scaled like a dragon, his nails were long and dark like claws. He looked nasty and pretty dangerous, like a ferocious animal. But even with these unnatural features, Belle did not think of him as unappealing. Actually, she was freaked out and attracted by him at the same time.

"No. In fact, I quite like these curls." She said as her fingers wrapped themselves around the locks. She smiled realizing they felt as silky as when his hair was strait. Rumpelstiltskin let out a loud and amused giggle and this time, it actually made her laugh. He looked at her adoringly and kissed her lips again, this time with a bit more power.

"How about we go on making babies?" He whispered in her ear, the unnatural heat from his breath sending small pleasurable chills down her spine. His hand was already caressing her thigh and she knew she would not resist him a second time. She looked at him, a mixture of fear and lust. "It's not like it's not already done." He stated. Belle gave a pained look, cursing her brilliant idea of bringing him to the ancient sanctuary during the solstice, motherhood hitting her as a frightening thought.

"I don't want to be a mother." She admitted, unable to hide any of her fears. The hurtful memories of a time she tried so hard to be a mother, of days she wished to cradle her own little baby in her arms returned. But those had been times when she was just Belle, a woman, a human being. Now she was the Dark One and having a baby had for her great implications. It would make her more human and therefore vulnerable. She would be an easy prey for her enemies, knowing that her unborn child would become her weakness. Rumpelstitlskin seemed to be aware of the worries that filled her mind and kissed her gently again.

"I'll be here with you. Forever. I promise."

Belle gasped at the words and felt overwhelmed by new strange emotions. She was afraid, but became excited at the same time. She felt weak and vulnerable, but he made her feel stronger and more secure. The strange fuzzy feeling that haunted her for weeks already was tingling now all over her body. She kissed him willingly, wanting to have all of him, to feel him, to taste him and to breathe him. She needed him to go inside of her all the way to her soul and fill the gap that has resided centuries in her heart. She called out his name and he reacted to her plea. The hand on her thigh slid upwards and she moaned softly when his fingers played with her sensitive area. This time he prepared her properly, entering first a finger, than a second, stretching her walls. When she was imploring for his body, he obeyed eagerly, filling her completely and moved strong and vigorously inside of her.

Winter Solstice was a day that stirred up all magic. This strange couple, the Dark One and the Primordial, the princess and the slave, transformed themselves in the essence of the human existence. They became Man and Woman. The magic was in the highest point. Man and Woman wielded the sanctuary's ancient magic, the most powerful magic that ever existed.

Life.

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**Soooo...your thoughts about the developements of this story are?**

**Please review :) **


	18. An Unexpected Confrontation

**I'm terribly sorry for the last late updates. But good news: Dead-lines and stuff finally ended! Great! Now I have more time to concentrate on FF and update more regularly again :)**

**Thank you for your enthusiastic reviews! Rumbellelover, xanimejunkie, Stargate533, MissiB, Ladii Emelia, ujemaima, thedoctorsgirl42, Grace5231973, ctdg, BlueBenny, CaaRehme (hey, tá de volta!) and Tenshi Chupip.**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Three weeks had passed by since the winter solstice and January existed as a month with many snow storms and strong winds. It was one of the hardest winters since two decades, and Belle left the castle only when it was really required. She preferred the warmth by the fire in the company of her slave.

The moment they stepped out of the stone sanctuary's perimeters, Rumpelstiltskin returned to his normal state, almost fainting from the decrease of power. He blamed it for having an empty stomach and had no recollection of that morning's events. But his more affective behavior since then confirmed Belle his subconscious still remembered it very clearly. She had told him nothing about the baby and the fact she didn't feel any changes in her body gave her some hope she had somehow avoided pregnancy. Of course there were ways of confirming it and her monthly cycle was meanwhile four days late, but she was too frightened to be confronted with the reality.

She was conflicted.

Belle desired the child, the product of her love and Rumpelstiltskin's (although she never admitted it). She often fantasized with the face of the child, thought of names and imagined herself cradling a small human being in her arms. But the Dark One was terrified. Love was a danger. The child would become her weakness, a target her enemies would aim at. Her focus and energy would be directed to the new living being instead of her deals, spells and potions. Not to mention, the Dark One was reluctant about the feelings that were growing daily for the slave. This was something she never had expected to happen when she made the deal with the spinner.

Rumpelstitlskin, on the other side, was absolutely oblivious of everything and interpreted Belle's swings of mood as the result of whatever Dark One's frustrations. After their dreadful walk to the stone monument, Belle had become even more contradictory, behaving more in extremes. She went from really sweet, kind and loving to furious, ruthless, screaming at him for all and nothing, but fortunately, without ever using violence. He blamed the bad weather and her "forced" incarceration in the castle for her bad mood and avoided her like the plague when she was angry.

He still did chores in the mornings so more and more chambers, hallways and staircases became progressively clean. The afternoons were dedicated to his magic training which was improving nicely. The evenings were lived by the warmth of fireplace, Rumpelstiltskin now doing the reading to practice his skills. And still every night he was expected in her chambers to, later on, be sent away again. Rumpelstiltskin was becoming annoyed by this and didn't understand his mistress's insistence in not letting him stay with her at night. They shared practically everything, but he still had to sleep on his couch alone when he desired to remain by Belle's side and sleep with his arms wrapped around her. He had admitted to himself, for already quite a while, he loved Belle. It had taken him sometime to understand it, the sentiment being new to him. But when he finally understood it was love he felt, he didn't dare to express his feelings to her. He had no idea if it was corresponded. Sometimes he truly believed she could love him back, but other times she was so distant or angry, he was sure she was unable to have such feelings. Belle, the Dark One, was a true mystery for him. And so, for feeling too confused and scared, Rumpelstiltskin chose not to reveal any of his sentiments for his mistress.

…

There was outside an awful blizzard but Belle was forced to leave the castle grounds to answer a desperate call. Rumpelstiltskin, on the other side, sat comfy on his trusted couch with a large book about magic spells on his lap. He was reading the instructions for the _shield spell_, one that protected the sorcerer from any kind of attack, including of other sorcerers. He read it with attention, so later on, he could practice it with the guidance of his mistress. His concentration was broken when he heard the front door open. His heart skipped a few beats. Belle never used the front door, preferring to appear out of nothing and scare the crap out of him. He put the book on the table and stood up. He could hear by the sound of the footsteps it wasn't Belle. Her walk pattern was rhythmic with a calm and steady pace. This one was heavy, energetic and sounded like a demonstration of power. He gasped when the great doors of the room flew open.

"Clumsy locks." A woman dressed in a highly sophisticated black dress said while she paced rather fast inside the room. She halted suddenly when her eyes met Rumpelstiltskin instead of Belle. "What do we have here?" She stated with amused curiosity. The slave felt all the alarms in his head go on. There was something about this woman that warned him she was dangerous. She was truly pretty, but he saw through the mask of beauty and realized there was plenty of evil behind those dark eyes. "Who are you?" She asked while reached him and walked around him, examining the man with her piercing gaze. "Are you a new slave?" She asked but received no answer. "What's the matter? Cat ate your tongue?" She mocked and laughed too loud at her own joke. Rumpelstiltskin didn't dare to say anything, feeling all but safe with this woman. "Well, you are certainly not the regular type of slave she usually takes." Regina continued, ignoring the man's silence, now standing opposite him and staring him from up to down. "You're old and quite the ordinary guy…Why would she have you as a slave?" She asked to herself, knowing there was always a hidden purpose behind the Dark One's actions. She suddenly noticed the band with the amber stone. "What is this?" She reached out with her hand, but Rumpelstiltkin blocked her movement with his arm and took a step backwards. She was taken by surprise, not expecting such a fast reaction and was certainly not pleased with the small hit she received. Her eyes focused on the stone and shrunk. "It's enchanted…Can you wield magic?" Rumpelstiltskin gave another few steps back, never leaving his gaze from her, sensing the tension and danger increase. The dark-haired woman realized there was more to this man than it first appeared. She sensed some kind of aura around him and knew he was preparing for an attack. "You can wield magic." She stated with a deep tone. Her grin grew wicked. "Let's see how much magic you can master." At this she formed a dark purple ball surrounded by small electrifying rays and directed it at him. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened when she threw the ball of magic at him and managed to budge just in time, the ball exploding when it hit the wall and causing quite some damage. Rumpelstiltskin stared shocked, realizing that could have been him. "No, no, my dear. That's cheating. You have to use magic to defend yourself." She explained in a mocking tone while she threw another energy ball.

Again he managed to budge. Another ball followed and then another. He always moved out of the way on time, his reflexes being excellent, fast and precise. But he knew he could not budge forever and when he saw one ball coming straight to his face, he closed his eyes, lifted his hands before him to shield the blow. He opened his eyes when he heard a blast but felt nothing. He was surprised to see a white transparent form hanging in front of him. He looked closer at it and slowly with his hand, reached it and touched the substance. It was cold, smooth and reminded him of glass. He gently knocked on it and it sounded like glass. The woman too looked surprised but soon she sneered and threw a more powerful electrifying ball. He blocked it with a new transparent shield. The woman groaned. The balls of magic followed one after the other and each of them was blocked by a shield that would vanish after a short while.

When she finally lost her temper, she threw series of balls behind each other and looked shocked as series of shields hung temporarily in front of the mysterious man. He too was staring amazed at the glasslike structures and suddenly realized his capacities. He stared at his trembling hands with incredulity and then looked at the woman who insisted in attacking him. There was a change in his eyes she didn't miss. They went from the earlier fear and insecurity to pure incredulity and now they looked so determined the woman actually flinched. She saw him making a movement with his hand and suddenly she was thrown against the wall by an invisible hand. She got up with some difficulty; the blow had been unexpectedly hard. She stared shocked, realizing he was pacing slowly in her direction, the amber stone glowing slightly and his eyes looked strange. His hand was already forming a circle in the air. He was about to attack her again, when:

"What is going on here?" Belle had arrived in her typical puff of smoke just in time to see her slave pacing threateningly towards the other sorceress, who looked quite taken aback. The moment Rumplestiltskin saw her, his stone stopped glowing, his eyes went back to normal and he sighed of relief.

"Belle, who is this man?" The dark-haired woman demanded, still shocked he actually had managed to overpower her, even if it was only for a short moment.

"He's my slave and apprentice." She turned to the man. "Rumpel, bring us some tea, will you?" She said in a commanding tone, still trying to figure out what had just happened. He nodded and exited, giving a short but annoyed look at the dark-haired sorceress. "I did not expect you here. You should have called me."

"Well, I didn't expect you to be away with this storm. I know how much you hate blizzards."

"I was called." Belle said, in a matter of fact. "What happened?"

"I was toying a bit with him and he suddenly hit me with a blow." The woman said sounding a bit humiliated. Belle's eyebrow arched. She knew the other woman was not telling the entire truth, but she had sensed the magic clearly activated in Rumpelstiltskin. "He's stronger than he looks."

"Don't we all?"

Meanwhile, Rumpelstiltskin entered the room with the tea. He served both women a bit reluctant and the tension was high. As soon as tea was served, Belle dismissed him, wishing to have him as far away as possible from the other woman.

"Is he mute?" The dark-haired sorceress asked, for the man hadn't uttered a single sound or word since she arrived.

"No." Belle stated finding the question ridiculous. "So, what brought you here, Regina?"

"I need a favor." The Queen said while she licked her tea spoon. "I need the two headed snake."

"The one from Agrabah?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I need the king's death to look like it was done by a dear friend of his."

"So you are going on with your plan."

"Yes. I swear I'll go mad if that old fool touches me again. It's disgusting. Not to mention dear overly sweet Snow! I can't stand seeing her so heavenly happy. But that will soon end. I shall have my revenge." Regina said with an ugly sneer.

"And what will you give me in return?"

And so, the two wicket sorceresses discussed their dealings and evil plans. Regina left happily with the venomous snake, while Belle received in return a rare plant she missed in her collection of herbs. Regina was also interested in knowing more details about the curse she asked the Dark One to make for her, but Belle limited in telling her all was going well but she needed to remain patient. Such a curse demanded precision and there was no space for mistakes. As soon as Queen Regina left the castle, Belle when to the kitchen, knowing her slave would be there. She entered silently and unnoticed like she always did and saw Rumpelstiltskin sitting in front of the small hearth looking thoughtful and holding his chipped cup.

"Hey." She said, deciding to announce herself. Rumpelstiltskin flinched, startled by the sudden sound.

"Why do you always sneak on me?" He complained, but Belle could sense he was please to see her. "Is she gone?" Belle nodded. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Regina." She said as she crossed the kitchen towards him.

"The Queen?"

"Yes, the Queen." She said, while she came from behind him, rested her hands on his shoulders and kissed him on his cheek. Rumpelstiltskin smiled at the small but tender gesture.

"I didn't know the Queen was a sorceress." He said truly surprised, while she sat on the table next to his chair.

"She was a pupil of mine, quite some years ago. Very powerful and talented." There was a short silence, both thinking about the blow Rumpelstitlskin manage to give Regina. "So what happened?" Rumpelstiltskin shortly recounted the happenings and Belle smiled. She knew his words were true, for he never lied. Above all, she had sensed his magic flowing around him and Regina wasn't unable to hide her indignity. The Dark One grinned, finally seeing the first results of the man's intensive training.

"Was this a test?" He asked Belle, placing the now empty cup away and leaned on the table next to her.

"No. I had no idea she was coming. But I'm glad she did." She said with a proud smile.

"You are happy she attacked me?"

"No silly. I'm happy she made you realize you have it in you." She said while she leaned a bit to plant a kiss on his lips. "I believe you are ready to assist me with my deals."

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	19. The Shepherd

**Thank you: juju0268, MissiB, Grace5231973, Ladii Emelia, xanimejunkie, thedoctorsgirl42, BlueBenny, ctdg, CaaRehme, Nami Swannn, ujemaima**

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It was during the evening, when Rumpelstitlskin was reading one of Belle's books, that somebody called for the Dark One. Belle focused her listening and her magical senses recognized the plea from King George. She wondered what was going on, if magic had claimed its price already and excused herself to her companion. The spinner looked at her with some apprehension. He knew it was a matter of time for his mistress to be called and sighed worriedly. This was the announcement of his new task, one he would have to use magic. And something told him he wouldn't be unable to avoid danger either. He had not forgotten his confrontation with Queen Regina, and although it gave him a new confidence, he was still a very afraid of this world, still so new and strange for him. He remained seated, his gaze lost in the dancing flames. All he could do now was wait for the Dark One's instructions.

…

Rumpelstiltskin had not expected this kind of task. Actually, he had no idea what his mistress had exactly in mind for him. He had imagined all kind of scenarios. From the intensive use of magic to having to make deals in name of his mistress. But something as simple as having a talk with a shepherd had never crossed his mind. During the Dark One's breakfast, she explained with detail her deal made with King George and Ruth, the shepherd's mother, many years ago. The king was, back then, in desperate need for an heir while another family in his kingdom was in desperate financial need and had twins. Identical twins. One was to become prince, the other shepherd. But the prince died and it was now Rumpelstiltskin's task to persuade the shepherd to take his brother's place.

He arrived in a puff of purple smoke, as he could teletransport himself now to anyplace he wished for. Rumpelstiltskin couldn't hide a grin of pride and satisfaction. He was finally plucking the fruits of his crazy weeks of training. He was feeling progressively at ease with the magical energy flowing in his veins, mastering his powers with more efficiency and less destruction. He could do now things he never dreamed possible. Like conjure objects or clean a room with the simple snap of his finger (although his mistress would not allow it and seemed to know exactly when he used magic in his chores). His quality of life had definitely improved as things became a lot easier to do with the use of magic. The spinner had to admit it. Magic was quite convenient. And he was starting to enjoy it more and more.

Rumpelstiltskin found himself before a small but homely house. The meadows were green and flowery. He quickly realized he was far away from the Dark Castle, in another kingdom, where winter had long ended and spring had already brought sun and flowers to the world. He walked through the fence's gate and headed towards the house. His eyes met the young shepherd, who was cunningly bringing all the sheep into the stall.

"Good day." He kindly announced himself. A middle-aged woman came from inside the house and stood next to her son. Both were wondering who the stranger was.

"Good afternoon." Ruth politely greeted back. "How can we help you?" She and her son noticed the fleeting look of guilt cross the stranger's face when he finally reached them.

"I was sent by the Dark One to bring you a message." Rumpelstiltskin awkwardly announced, while he presented a ring with the Dark One's seal. Bell had given it to him before he left. The golden ring had a light blue stone showing the picture of a rose in front of a tower. From now on, he would always wear this ring when dealing with people, a way for them to recognize him as the Dark One's messenger. The shepherd furrowed his brow confused, but his mother became instantly pale and put a hand before her mouth.

"What does she want?" The woman asked scared.

"She? The Dark One is a _she_?" Her son asked surprised, but none took notice of him.

"I bring you the news of the death of Prince James. I'm sorry." Rumpelstiltskin sincerely spoke. The woman's eyes became immediately teary and her son became more confused by the minute.

"Why is that our concern? Mother, why are you crying?" The shepherd asked.

"Many years ago, your father made a deal with the Dark One. We were poor, barely surviving, then the Dark One came along with an offer. We had twins and we made a deal: one of you for the farm." The mother spoke teary.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Her son asked, obviously shocked.

"The deal forbade us from ever speaking of it. Your father regretted the decision the minute the Dark One took your brother. He carried the guilt with him to his grave." There was a mournful silence, but Rumpelstiltskin soon broke it.

"I hate to interrupt you but alas time is of the essence." Rumpelstiltskin sadly said. "King George. He needs a prince to slay a dragon."

"I'm not a dragon slayer."

"No, but your brother was. This new found kinship will be your salvation. Simply play the part. The king's knights will take care of everything else. All you must do is deliver the dragon's head to Midas." He explained in a way it sounded easy and beneficial.

"What's in it for the Dark One?" The shepherd asked suspicious. Rumpelstiltskin shrugged his shoulders clueless.

"What's in it for the Dark One is her business. I'm merely bringing you the message." He sighed. "You should be asking yourself what's in it for you. You do this, your poor mother, well, the king is going to make sure she never wants for anything ever again. Your farm will be saved! Now, don't tell me you don't want that?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Oh, everyone has a choice, dearie. Just make sure it's the right one." Rumpelstiltskin paused, searching for the right words. "Look, if you refuse to take your brother's place and slay the dragon, King Midas will never give gold to King George. The kingdom is already poor and weak. You are the last hope, the last resort for everybody's survival. Including your mother's farm. Everybody will suffer the consequences of your refusal. So, you can choose to stay and watch the kingdom crumble or you can go, be the hero, save the kingdom, but cut the ties with your family."

"You speak like it's easy." The shepherd accused. Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help and release a bitter laughter at the shepherd's words.

"I saved my son's life by sacrificing mine. A lifetime of servitude to the Dark One. Was it a difficult choice? You have no idea. Do I suffer with my decision? Every single minute of my existence. But do I regret it? No. And you know why? Because I know my son is alive and he has a future thanks to my choice."

The shepherd relaxed a bit and looked at him with respect. He nodded; understanding now making the right choice wasn't always the easiest path. The decision was taken and, far away from the small farm, the Dark One grinned contented. She had followed the whole conversation thought her looking glass. Rumpelstiltskin had done exactly what she had requested. Bring the message, persuade the shepherd to become prince and explain the further details of this new deal. Her smirk grew wider. Rumpelstiltskin had surpassed her expectations. The way he used his own personal experience to convince the young shepherd had been exceptional. He had spoken with all his sincerity, expressing how a difficult choice could be most valuable one. A great sacrifice for a greater goal.

…

A week had flown by and the horrible storms and blizzards finally came to an end. They left a trail of destruction in nature, fields and villages. Belle knew it was a matter of time and she would be called again to answer miserable souls, victims of the winter's rage. Since Rumpelstiltskin had proven to be skilled in the arts of persuasion, Belle decided she would use him mainly as messenger. He would be the intermediary between the caller and the Dark One, and explain the terms of the deal Belle would have in mind. He would only have to use magic for teletransporting, conjuring the contract and, eventually for other things. Belle would watch over him through her magical mirror, making sure he did his job well. Would it be necessary, she could always intervene. It was ideal for her. This way her identity remained protected. Even if the callers were forced to swear not to speak about the deal like Ruth and her husband, there was always the danger somebody would denounce the Dark One to be a _she _and _a beautiful young woman_. This way, her dangerous reputation was safe, if not, enhanced. But above all, Belle realized it was a matter of time when she would become dependent of Rumpelstiltskin, since she was certain for now, she was with child.

Belle stood in her potion's room alone. She had sent Rumpelstiltskin to a chamber to scrub the muddy dust (without magic) that had accumulated on a long carpet for too many years, knowing it would keep him busy for a while. The Dark One needed to be alone to finally do the thing she had been hesitant and reluctant to do for a long time. She needed to confirm her pregnancy. Everything indicated she was with child. She was now suffering of morning sickness and felt frequently dizzy. Her appetite was increasing scarily and her emotions were becoming too unstable for her liking. Not to mention, her monthly cycle never came. Still, there was a part in her that rejected the whole idea of being pregnant and preferred to think of an alternative explanation to all these obvious symptoms, as improbable and far caught as they could be.

Belle sighed in expectancy as she watched her blood blend with the potion. Would nothing happen, then she was certainly very ill. Would it turn golden, then she was with child. She felt tears prick her eyes as she was overflowed with a series of contrasting emotions. She watched the liquid slowly change its color until it won a perfect golden shade. She laughed happy only now realizing how badly she actually had wanted to have a child. It had been her dream since her marriage, to have her own baby, her own offspring. She could already imagine herself cradling and singing for the sleeping infant and sniffed of blissfulness. She could picture Rumpelstitlskin telling stories and whispering sweet words to the child and suddenly realized how desperately she had longed for a family of her own. Not the kind of family she would have had with Gaston, but the family she always wanted, like the one she once had with her mother and father. A family where love existed.

Belle had to sit down. She felt her limbs tremble from the overwhelming emotions. She still could hear Rumpelstiltskin confessing his love for her in the circle of stones. She still could hear Maleficent warning her about the dangers of a binding spell. But she knew the sentiment could only evolve if it already existed. Because magic cannot create love. The ability of a binding spell was to stimulate and speed up the development of a sentiment that would evolve ultimately into love. And so, the binder would have full control over the victim, whose love would be so strong that anything would be done to please the binder. That was the reason she had waited for the day she saw in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes he liked her. She was sure it was nothing but a crush or a fascination back then, but it was enough to trigger the spell and to allow the initial stage of the sentiment to develop into something much greater and powerful. Love.

But what were the implications for her? As the binder, she should not be affected by the spell. The only danger was for her to start feeling anything for him during the process of the spell. She had therefore avoided the spinner, so she could evade the development of any feeling for him. But then she realized how scared she had been when he was sick. She remembered how she dedicated devotedly to his care. She had thought back then she didn't want him dead because of her desire in bringing a Primordial back to the world. But now she realized, with some bitterness, she had done nothing else but fool herself. She had blinded herself by denying a feeling that already existed and kept it the dormant state. It was the only explanation she could offer herself. Otherwise, how could she explain her increasingly need and dependency of him? How could she explain the way she felt happy, relaxed and safe by his side? The way she adored his frustrated pouts when a spell went wrong and the way she adored listening to his pleasant voice exercising his reading skills? How could she explain she gave herself body and soul at night, while in the beginning it was nothing more than a physical thing?

It could only be love.

Belle, sighed heavily, realization stirring her emotions madly. She decided to wait a while longer before breaking the news to Rumpelstiltskin. She was still in a very initial stadium of pregnancy and there was always the danger of miscarriage. So she decided to wait until she was eight or nine weeks pregnant, when the fetus was surely strong and likely to survive the rest of the gestation. She was also insecure about his reaction. The Dark One had denied the spinner his son and wasn't sure how the idea of starting a new family with her would be welcome. Belle sighed and convinced herself, in time, everything would fall in its place. She just had to take it day by day.

And so the most powerful sorceress ever to exist sat alone in her workroom, tears cascading down her face, a tender smile plastered on her lips. She looked at the bowl of golden liquid on the table and stroked her still flat belly. The Dark One was terrified with the development of her feelings for Rumpelstiltskin and the unborn baby, but the love and happiness of motherhood subdued this time any evil or dark thought.

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**I know I'm killing you dearies with Belle's silence about the baby, but it will take a while before she'll reveal it to him. There is still a lot of stuff going to happen during the 3 months. You'll notice when it happens.**

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	20. Winds of Time

**Thank you: MissiB, juju0268, Ladii Emelia, Grace5231973, thedoctorsgirl42, Nami Swannn**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Far away from the Enchanted Forest, in another realm, a couple strolled along long dark corridors, where the walls were covered with bookshelves that went as high as the ceilings, the titles of books and scrolls barely readable under the dim light of oil lamps. This was the silent world of the Archive of Secrets. The sanctuary dedicated to knowledge, where the secrets of the universe were kept safe. The archive was not organized in alphabetical order or by category, which made the task of finding a book impossible. But the man wearing a tall black hat had means to find any document he wished for. He followed a scarlet moth he had brought with him in a small flask. It was no regular moth. It was a magical creature, the guardian of the archive.

"_Book of the Beginnings_" The man had whispered and the moth flew graciously along the corridors of this world of paper and parchment.

The couple walked in a pattern of a confusing labyrinth. Corridors and stairways led often to dead ends, to wonderful galleries and back to the beginning. Any mortal that would venture in this mysterious world had the risk to wander here centuries without aging, for time existed not in Hourglass City. But the woman with long golden hair and a beautiful embroidered white dress, carried with her a magical pocket watch that indicated the time in her realm, so she would never lose track of time.

The moth landed on a large book with a dark brown leather cover and silver letters.

"Ah, there it is!" Jefferson said victoriously, as he picked up the book. But the Archive of Secrets was a forbidden place and no document was to be touched by mortal hands. The floor started to shake terribly so the walls were soon crumbling down in large rocks. The moth flew away frightened and the couple had no choice but to find their way back on their own. "Which way, Carol?" The Mad Hatter yelled at his wife when they reached a crossroad, the noise surrounding them muffing any other sound. Carol was specialized in riddles, puzzles and labyrinths. She looked around only a few seconds and quickly ran to the corridor on the right. They crossed many galleries, climbed many stairways and ran along countless corridors. Books were falling down on them like rain, the crumbling rocks made their escape difficult. But still they reached the main entrance hall and found the exit. Jefferson and Carol stepped in the dead hot world of yellow sand and turned around to see the white building with golden copulas stand firm as if nothing odd was happening inside.

"That was amazing!" Jefferson yelled ecstatic, adrenaline still running through his veins. Carol shook her head, not finding the matter funny at all. She took her pocket watch and frowned.

"We must go now. We've been here for almost three hours already. It will start soon." She spoke gravely.

Jefferson still laughing took his hat off and placed it on the sand. And then they heard it. The horrible sound of thousand bells ringing insanely at the same time. They announced the hourglass would turn at any moment. But before it, the spirit of time would wipe out any living creature standing on its eternal sands. Jefferson turned the hat hastily. It expanded, but the process was taking too long. The pale green light was already coming. It would reach them in seconds. Time was going to claim them. Jefferson was about to order Carol to jump first, when he felt his body being pushed into the hat. He screamed, as he fell into the depths of his portal. An overwhelming pain took over him when the last thing he saw was his wife being swallowed by the force of time and vanish before his eyes. The Mad Hatter landed hard on the cool ground of the woods by his home, screaming in agony, calling out for the wife he had just lost.

…

Belle was in deep concentration. She was managing one of the most challenging parts of Regina's curse, in which she very carefully had to connect the strands of eternal time and forgotten memories. Should she fail this process, it would have unknown repercussions to the curse. The Dark One furrowed her brow as she focused in the tricolor thread of memories and tried to connect it to the thin white cord. She could see the white fibers slowly stretch and reach for the memories', when suddenly the door flew open. Belle shuddered from fright and the two strands connected too quickly. She watched the colors of the two threads merge and gain a red wine instead of purple shade. Her hands trembled as anger and frustration spread out through her body. It had been almost impossible to get these two strands. It had required a very complicated deal and a lot of manipulation before the ancient Moiras would give her what she need. A second travel to the Underworld was out of question. It was certain to kill the new life that was developing in her womb. Blinded by fury, the Dark One turned around, her blue eyes practically black from anger. She froze for a second, having expected to see her reckless slave standing in the room. Instead, she was facing a rather pale Mad Hatter.

"Do you have any idea of what you just DID?" She screamed in a voice that sounded unlike hers. Jefferson trembled of fear, sensing he had come in a very ill moment.

"I-I brought you t-the book!" He practically squealed when the Dark One moved in the space of a second and was standing opposite him looking murderous. Her eyes left his to glance at the large book he was holding under his arm.

"You got it." She whispered in wonder, her anger dying quickly. She grabbed the book and looked at it with wide eyes. "The Book of Beginnings." She whispered as she read the title. Her hand traced the silver letters like if she was holding a priceless treasure. "Very well, Jefferson. You did a good job, although you couldn't have chosen a worst time to show up." She muttered annoyed as she turned the first pages, admiring the ancient writings and meticulous drawings.

"Something went wrong." Jefferson said in a cracked voice. The Dark One lifted her head, her eyes meeting his. She had already noticed his paleness, the black rings under his red and swollen eyes, but she could care less, actually. "Carol…She…She was taken by time."

"Well, in that case you should have been more careful. I gave you that magical watch for something. And you shouldn't have left the archive, in first place. The winds of time have no effect inside of it."

"We had no choice. The place started crumbling apart after I touched the book! We were forced to go outside!"

"It was still foolish. Carol could be anywhere…or better, in anytime ." The Dark One stated casually.

"So, s-she's alive?" Jefferson said with a small sparkle of hope.

"It depends to _when _time took her to. She could have been taken to a thousand years before our time. Then she'll be surely dead. Or she could have been transported into the future. The possibilities are endless."

"But then there is still hope! Maybe there's a way to find her! Maybe I can find her back with my hat!" Jefferson said in despair, holding the hat in his hands.

"I doubt it. Once thing is portal jumping, another is time travel." Belle said, waving her hand in a sign of dismissal.

"But there must be a way. You're the Dark One, surely you can help me!"

"No. Time portals go beyond my abilities." She declared coldly.

"But you must help me!"

"I must nothing! I gave you clear instructions. It's your own stupid fault if she got caught by the spirit of time. If somebody should do anything is you! You ruined my Underworld strands!" The Dark One countered upset. She was becoming annoyed by Jefferson's insistence on such a futile matter. Carol was gone. And that was that. Jefferson stared shocked at the woman he so often had offered his services to, the woman he and Carol had considered friend despite her reputation and cruel manners.

"You have no soul." He whispered. He grew paler as the Dark One smirked maliciously. "I'm never using this hat again. Ever!" Without adding another word, he rushed out of the room and ran down the stairs. Rumpelstiltskin barely had time to recognize him, when they almost collided. The spinner turned around to see the Mad Hatter run around a corner. He followed him hastily, but when he turned the corner, there was no one to see in the hall. It was as if Jefferson had never been there. Like if he had disappeared into thin air.

"What did you do to Jefferson? He ran off like he was escaping the devil!" Rumpelstiltskin said as he entered his mistress workroom, the door still ajar.

"Maybe he was." The Dark One said with a mad glint in her eyes and an evil grin.

She was holding the large book against her small frame, making her look frail. But the look in her face was a dangerous one. The spinner knowing her mistress' moods too well by now, opted by closing the door shut and descended the stairs before the Dark One would unleash hell. She was way too unpredictable these days and that look betrayed madness. No way was he going to confront _that_. Instead, he decided to search better for the Mad Hatter. Alas, every castle's room and corridor was empty. Jefferson had left without leaving a trace. The spinner sighed worried and ultimately had to give up. What happened between Jefferson and Belle was not his business, anyway. He just hoped that whatever was going on, was not that bad. Something he knew in his core to be mostly unlikely.

…

The Dark One had isolated herself for three days. She neglected her slave´s training, conjured food in her workplace and spent her nights wide awake. The Dark One was obsessed with the _Book of Beginnings_ and read it over and over again. The origins of the world, of life, of magic were explained in this precious volume. The dawn of Mankind was lived by a super race, called the First People or the Primordials. The race with the closest connection to nature and magic humans would ever have. A race so powerful, that it destroyed them. The _Book of Beginnings_ told the story of Rumpelstiltskin's ancestors.

The Dark One was concentrated in her book when a calling came. She closed her eyes and followed the desperate call. Her mind followed the voice through mountains, valleys and forests. Her mind's eye travelled within seconds and stopped a few moments on the edge of a small village with wooden houses and a small harbor by a river. Despite the thick layer of snow, she recognized the place. The calling grew stronger and her spirit travelled to a small castle built on a hill, not so far from the village. She grinned, understanding the reason for the call. Just like she had suspected, the year's crops had been completely destroyed by the severe winter. Bad weather had caused a lot of damage in the surroundings, many houses were being repaired, the harbor being rebuilt. People and cattle were already suffering the cruelty of hunger and disease. It would be a matter of time for death to pay this small village a visit.

The Dark One opened her eyes. Her mind was back in her workplace.

After an absence of three days, Belle finally left the tower and went to find her slave. She smiled contented with the man's loyalty, as she found him in the dining room. An empty plate on the table denounced he had already lunched, just like the fire on the hearth and a blanket on the couch indicated he still spent his nights here. Rumpelstiltskin was bended over the large table, his eyes glued on the pages of a thick book, his right hand waving gentle circles in the air. His hand kept producing this movement until a vase with colorful yellow spring flowers appeared on the table. Belle's smile grew wider when the slave let out a small cheer of satisfaction. The beauty gently applauded while she paced towards her companion. Rumpelstiltskin, as usual, jumped from the unexpected sound and quickly turned around. But his edgy expression faded immediately when he saw his mistress.

"You're back!" He said, unable to hide the contentment in seeing Belle again. She giggled at his warm reaction, reached him, cupped his face on her hands and kissed softly his lips.

"I received a calling." She whispered and witnessed the joy in her slave's eyes be replaced by concern.

"Oh…and who is it this time?"

"The Duke."Belle witnessed Rumpelstitlskin's face tense completely.

"The Duke? You mean…"

"Yes. _Your _duke, from _your_ village."Belle could practically sense every and each muscle in the spinner's body grow tense. His breath was caught in his throat and his eyes looked dark.

"What does the Duke want?" Rumpelstiltskin whispered in a deeper voice than usual, repressing all the anger and loathe he felt for the man. He still could hear him ordering to kiss his boot. He still could hear his mocking words, his cruel laughter. He still could feel the same fire of humiliation he had lived that night in front of his son.

"He wants to make a deal, of course." Belle calmly stated. She could feel the tension around Rumpelstiltskin. She could see the uncharacteristic hate in his eyes. The spinner never talked about the Duke, but Belle always noticed a tone of repugnance when he mentioned his former Landlord. "Winter showed no mercy to your small village. Obviously the Duke wants to save it." Immediately fear and horror crossed Rumpelstiltskin's features.

"What happened?" He asked, feeling panic already grow in his chest.

"Don't worry, Rumple. Your son is fine. I checked on him." She rested him assured and he sighed of relieve. "But things may turn bad if I don't answer the Duke's call. It will be a year of hunger."

"What will you have me do?" Rumpelstiltskin spoke the words she so much desired to hear. The Dark One grinned. This was going to be interesting.

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**Since they announce the spinhoff ****_Once Upon a Time in Wonderland_**** and Alice is not the Mat Hatter's true love (I'm assuming) I decided to call Jefferson's wife Carol, in dedication of the writer (Lewis Carrol)**

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	21. Tables Turned

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The sun raised behind soft white hills. It slowly ascended in the sky and stretched its golden fingers through valleys and mountains. But its warmth barely touched the ground. The North Wind breathed ice, a cruel freezing breeze. The cold blanket of snow glittered under the sun rays, but refused to soften and melt away. February had arrived and winter promised to stay for another day. Trees were naked and frozen, the earth dead, the world hungry. The violent storms from January had prevented ships to sail in, so the village received no new provisions. The winter stock was quickly going down, even if the little food was daily rationed. Even animals suffered from the severe winter, raiding the small village at night, in search for the food they could not find in the woods.

While people slowly returned to their daily lives, with little or nothing to save from the winter, the Duke grew daily more desperate. He stood on his small castle's balcony and watched the villagers mend their homes, restore bridges and roads, rebuild the harbor. As their Landlord, his duty was to protect them and provide them with the needed capital for these works. And so he financed the needed repairs. But bad news was received daily. A lot of cattle had not survived the freezing weeks. Farmers made clear the grounds were infertile and a bad crop year was predicted. The prices of goods had climbed scarily, as other lands suffered too the toll of a hard winter. Provisions had to be imported, but the villagers had no goods to sell in return. And so, the Duke saw the economy of his little Land fall in an addictive spiral.

The Duke sighed worriedly. He had heard tales of magnificent kingdoms collapsing due to the roughness of nature. He had heard the tales of people going mad from hunger and disease. He watched the villagers from distance and wondered how long they would remain this peaceful. Because the first incidents had already started. Small things, like throwing stones at his castle's strong walls. Or insults and spitting when he came to inventory the damages. Guards and soldiers were harassed daily by children, women and old men. Small things he could easily punish. Make them spend a couple nights in the dungeons or a give them a public display of lashes. But when he would sentence the culprits, he would see hate instead of fear in the villager's faces. And that terrified him.

Sure he had guards. Sure he had militaries. Sure he was safe behind his stone walls. But he didn't dare to underestimate the power of a mob of hungry villagers. Oh yes. He had heard the tales of fallen kings. He was scared. He was desperate. And he could not allow having such a horrible fate. So he did the only thing he could do.

"You summoned the Dark One."

The Duke turned around with a shudder. He quickly entered back into the throne room and froze for some seconds. Opposite to his great chair stood a hooded man. He looked at the guards. They stared back at him with the same surprise. Nobody had seen the man enter the room. The Duke took a few deep breaths, feeling his heart beating fast, fear pumping his veins. Yet he wished to transpire nothing. So he walked calmly towards his throne, slowly sat on the great chair, trying to look as cool and dignified as possible. His eyes didn't leave the mysterious man one second, who didn't move an inch during the process. He stood exactly opposite to the throne, so they could face each other directly.

"Yes, I did." The Duke answered.

"It wasn't a question." The hooded man coolly replied. The Duke didn't like the tone of the man's voice. It was low, but clear. Calm, but mocking. And there was a slight accent he swore he had heard before. The fact he could not see his face was working on his nerves. He was not very tall and had quite a slender body. That he could make out. An awkward silence filled the room. "What is it you want?" The hooded man finally asked.

"My crops are destroyed. I fear for a year of hunger. I am worried about my people. They will suffer…"

"You care nothing about your people!" The hooded man accused, his voice only slightly raised. He started pacing slowly in the empty space around the throne. "No. You are scared." He almost whispered. "You are afraid the people will turn against you. Afraid for a revolt." The Duke swallowed dry. How the man knew his fears confused him. It frightened him terribly. His hands were clenched on the arms of his throne. He dared not to move them. They were becoming sweaty and were shaking insanely. The man stopped walking when he had stopped talking and was facing him again. The awkward silence had reinstalled itself in the room.

"I need my crops…" The Duke spoke weakly.

"What? You'll have to speak louder, dearie!"He hooded man demanded, raising his hand dramatically, making his point. "What is it that you want, m'lord?" He whispered in a teasing and menacing voice.

"I-I need my crops to be restored. I need a good harvest year. The lands, the trees, the cattle!" The Duke spoke in almost a high pitched voice, panic threatening to break his cool façade. Although the Duke could not see the man's face, he knew he was grinning.

"There will be a price." The hooded man spoke like if he was tasking something sweet.

"O-Of course. Just name it." The Duke answered.

"You are in possession of a magical object." The hooded man declared, while he started pacing again in the room. The Duke shifted uncomfortably on his throne, already knowing what the vile creature would demand. "A certain table, to be more precise. The one that has made sure that belly of yours would remain this impressive!" He said mockingly, pointing directly at the Duke's fat belly.

The Landlord became instantly pale and had enough of the mockery. He stood up and walked upset to the man. He expected the shorter male to budge, but instead he stood firm on the ground and did nothing to avoid him from removing his hood. The Duke gasped and took a steps backwards. Staring back at him was a familiar face. But the look in his eyes was new. It was deprived of fear and instead was challenging him.

"No… Who are you?" The Duke said while he pointed at the man, who grinned satisfied. "W-What was your name?"

"Have you forgotten me already? What was it you used to call me again? Spindleshanks? Hobblefoot." The spinner said, the fire of anger reaching his eyes.

"You…You are Rumpelstitlskin!" The Duke said shocked.

"So you do remember." Rumpelstiltskin said with a low treacherous tone. The Duke felt his blood boil. This poor spinner, the village coward, dared to come to his castle, impose himself as the mightiest creature in the world and make a fool out of him. He clenched his teeth. Rumpelstiltskin had ridiculed him. Now, he would pay dearly for his distasteful joke.

"You are not the Dark One! You are nothing but a miserable spinner!" The Duke yelled outraged, causing an uncharacteristic wicked grin on the other man's face. "Guards! Kill him!" A bunch of five low class soldiers rushed inside the room, waiving their long swords in the air. Rumpelstiltskin didn't move an inch. "The coward. He's paralyzed from fear!" The Duke mocked. But the moment one of the soldiers was to slice the spinner in two, he smiled and vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Everybody stared surprised at the empty spot and looked around searching him.

"Over here!" He called grinning, from a different part of the room. The soldiers ran to him, swords pointed at his heart. Again he didn't move and again he disappeared into thin air. The Duke watched petrified as the cunning spinner kept disappearing to appear again somewhere else. He watched the soldiers run from one side of the room to the other like idiots, always missing him at the last second. Anger was burning in the Duke's veins, this ridiculous game driving him insane.

"Enough!" He screamed and the soldiers halted immediately. Rumpelstiltskin reappeared opposite the Duke.

"You're right. Shall we go back to business now?"

"I'm making no business with you. You are not the Dark One!"

"I was sent by the Dark One." He said, revealing his ring with the tower and the rose. The Duke took a quick glance at it, but was enough to recognize the Dark One's seal. He had heard the rumors of Rumpelstitlskin's desperate deed, but he never believed in them. He always thought the man had abandoned his son, moving to another village, like the coward he was. But now Rumpelstiltskin was standing before him, deprived of fear and doing magic. The Duke was sure now, the rumors were true. "And the Dark One requires the magical table."

"What does the Dark One want it for?" The Duke asked upset, not willing to depart from his magical table.

"Maybe the Dark One will give it to the villagers and share some of your greediness." Rumpelstiltskin spoke with enormous poison.

"I had enough of you. Slay the vermin!" The Duke ordered again. But this time, when the soldiers tried to attack Rumpelstitlskin, he sent them flying through the air with the single raise of his hands. The soldiers landed on the hard floor and stared surprised at the slender man. The Duke looked shocked at them and then felt all the blood go down his face. Rumpelstiltskin was standing right in front of him with an expression of pure scorn. His eyes were dilated and had gained a strange color. His hair was becoming wavy and his skin was gaining a sickening shade.

"How about a little fealty? Kiss my boot." He uttered in a deep and low voice, each word spoken with extra care.

The Duke, feeling tears of terror wanting to escape his eyes, his whole body shaking of distress, bend until he was on his knees. Rumpelstiltskin grinned wickedly, relishing the unknown feeling of power and victory, when the man's lips touched the leather from his boots. The Duke gasped when he raised his head and saw Rumpeltstiltskin's hand come in his direction. Suddenly a soldier put himself between the two men, to shield and protect the Landlord. The Duke thought his heart would jump from his mouth, when Rumpelstiltskin grabbed the soldier's head with one hand and turned his neck with a fatal crack. He picked up the dead soldier's sword to slay the other men, one after the other, in cold blood. He was going to kill a young soldier when he suddenly stopped. The boy was barely twenty and had one trembling hand up, protecting him from the blow. Rumpestilstkin's eyes shrunk a bit and he rested his sword on the floor.

"Get out." He said to the young soldier, who blinked surprised but ran off as quickly as he could. Rumpelstiltskin turned around to face a very terrified Duke. His former Landlord watched him in his full transformation and his whole body was trembling from terror. The Primordial took a few steps in his direction and the Duke felt something warm run down his pants. He looked down at the wet spot between his legs, tears running freely from his eyes. Rumpeltstiltskin stared at the humiliating scene with disgust. "The magical table." He demanded.

"It's yours! T-Take it! I don't care, just take it and go away!" The Duke desperately yelled, holding his weight on his throne, his limbs threatening to give away any moment. He watched Rumpelstitlskin wave his hand in circles and the magical table appeared next to him.

"The deal is struck. Congratulations! You saved your people. You will have a year with good harvests, plenty of milk, honey and fruit." Rumpelstiltskin announced. He took a step closer to the Duke, who desperately tried to hide behind his tall chair. "Who's the coward now?"

And at this, Rumpelstitlskin and the table vanished. The Duke was left alone in a room, under sweat, tears and piss. He looked around and saw the blood stains on the floor, the pools of red liquid around his slaughtered soldiers. He sobbed in anguish. Never in his life had he experienced such fear. He let himself collapse and released a scream of agony. The image of the man with greenish skin and evil eyes wouldn't leave his mind. But above all, it was the one question that haunted his thoughts: _What the hell was Rumpelstiltskin?_

…

"Baelfire! Baelfire!"

A teenager was spinning wool in the fashion his father had taught him and quickly got up when he heard the shouting. He came outside to see a young man running to him. Baelfire recognized him as Jason and smiled. They were neighbors for years and since Jason had been chosen to be one of the Duke's personal guards, he barely ever saw him. But his smile quickly faded when Jason reached him, looking as pale as a ghost.

"What happened?" The younger boy asked. Jason stood bend, resting his hands on his knees for a few moments, restoring his breathing after his mad run.

"Y-You won't believe who I just saw." Jason said between his panting. Baelfire stared at him expectantly. "It was your father. But it was not quite him." Baelfire's eyes grew wide.

"My papa? He's he aright? Where is he?"

"Something happened to him…He's changed. He recognized me, otherwise…" Jason felt the first tears run down his face. He still could see the cold way Rumpelstiltskin slew his fellow-guards. He still could see the blood. He still could see the yellow-greenish eyes staring at him with pure hate. "Baelfire, your father is capable of doing magic. And it somehow changed him."

"Jason! Please tell me what happened!" The teenager asked with a meek voice, his heart racing with fear.

"His appearance changed. He looked really mean and then…then he killed the soldiers, one by one. Baelfire, I'm sure if he wouldn't have recognized me, he would have killed me too. There was something in his eyes. Something dark."

Baelfire stared wide eyed at his neighbor finding it impossible to believe in his tale. His papa would never hurt anybody, even more kill. He suddenly was very concerned of what the Dark One did to his father. And more than ever, regretted his father's choice.

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**I so much enjoyed writing this chapter! My personal favorite so far!**

**By the way. The magical table is from the Brothers Grimm tale "Table be set"**

**Here a quote to refresh the minds of those who might not remember (or know) the story: "_When I set it out, and tell it to set itself, the most beautiful dishes immediately appear on it, and wine also, which gladdens the heart. Just invite all our relatives and friends. They shall refresh and enjoy themselves for once, for the table will fill them all_."**

**And you? What did you think about it?**

**Please, do review ;)**


	22. Bloodlust

**It was fun to read how everybody was so happy about Rumpel's encounter with the Duke. I guess revenge ****_is _****sweet after all. Thank you for your supportive reviews and enthusiasm. I really love to read them. Really motivates me to write this story! Ctdg, MissiB, Grace5231973, orthankg1 (like the idea, but I don't see it happening in this tale, sorry), thedoctorsgirl42, BlueBenny, I am Tiny, Nami Swannn, Ladii Emelia, xanimejunkie, juju0268.**

**There will be more Bae in the future...**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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A purple smoke appeared in a dark room full of old furniture and copper items. Rumpelstiltskin took a deep breath and looked at his trembling red stained hands. He reached for the amber stone hidden under his shirt and took it out. He gasped as it glowed like a small flame, illuminating the gloomy room. So _this_ was what happened when his magic was fully activated. His eyes left the stone and scanned the room in search of the only object where he could see his reflection. The Dark One had forbidden him from ever looking directly to a mirror, warning him for its dangers. But she had mentioned nothing about other objects, like the large copper platter he now was staring at. Hesitantly, he came closer, seeing first only his dark shape on the flat surface. He came closer and thanks to the light emanating from the stone, he saw his transformed form. Rumpelstitlstin froze as he failed to recognize himself. He touched his face with his hand and the strange man on the copper platter imitated him. Rumpelstitlskin released a small gasp and looked better at his reflection. His appearance was scary. Horrendous. Monstrous.

...

He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths and allowed his powers to weaken. He saw, on the reflection, how the creature's hair fell smooth and strait, how his skin grew lighter, how his eyes gained a normal size and became dark brown. He stared a few moments back at the face he knew as his. Still he recognized himself not. He hurried away from the copper platter, opened a window and took some deep breaths. He was feeling dizzy. Tremors spread through his whole body. He shut his eyes and all he saw was the blood streaming out the men's bodies. All he saw was Jason's look of horror in his eyes. Rumpelstiltskin could still hear the sound of flesh being trespassed, the sound of painful screams. He opened his eyes and looked again to his hands. He tried desperately to wipe the red blood away with his clothing, but it had already dried on his skin. Rumpelstiltskin released a sob, as a wave of panic grew in his chest. He could not understand how he had done such atrocities. He could not understand what possessed him at that moment. But it had been him. He had been fully aware of what he was doing at the time. He knew he could have chosen back then not to hurt them. Instead he chose to kill. Rumpelstiltskin cried of horror as he failed to understand himself and succumbed to despair.

…

Belle had followed Rumpelstitlskin's every move from the moment he left the castle till the moment he returned. She had expected her slave to act hostile, but never had she expected him to act violent to the point of slaughtering the Duke's men. It had surprised her, even shocked her, since she was used to his affable nature; but it did not repulse her. By the contrary. Belle grinned, enjoying this dark side of her slave. She remembered her conversation with his subconscious in the stone circle. He had claimed he had no fears, that didn't care what it took to get what he desired and would use magic to achieve his goals. And today he had confirmed his words. Belle figured out when his magic was fully activated, when Rumpelstitlskin transformed into his Primordial form, his subconscious would gain more strength and play a more dominant role. Her looking glass showed now her slave hidden in a dark room, consumed by despair. The passive and kind Rumpelstitlskin was back and was surely having a hard time understanding what had just happened. She decided to leave him for now. She knew he would want to be alone, that he needed his space. And she would respect it. But she was determined to make him accept his dark side.

…

Night had fallen and Rumpelstitlskin had not showed up yet. Belle sighed worriedly and closed the book she was reading by the fireplace. She knew exactly where she would find him. He always went there when he was troubled. She walked along the dark corridors of her silent castle and could already hear the sound of the wheel turning. She entered the room silently and her brow furrowed.

"Since when do you spin gold?" Rumpelstiltskin stopped the wheel immediately. He sighed tiredly and then proceeded with the spinning, without ever facing her.

"I had this crazy idea of summoning straw…I guess I wanted to punish myself by spinning something so unworthy… which is actually silly, since it's impossible to turn straw into thread. At least, that's what I thought. Surprise of surprises. I'm not only capable of spinning straw, but I'm also able to turn it into gold!" He bitterly spoke.

Belle smiled at his new discovered but unwanted talent and took pity of his misery. She took a stool and sat next to him. Rumpelstiltskin ceased his movements, the wheel stopped turning and he turned to face her. He looked anxious, tired, defeated. Belle knew that emptiness in his eyes meant he had fallen deep down the pit of his miseries and wanted nothing else but to make him feel better. So she gently kissed him on his lips.

"What am I?" He whispered scared. Belle hesitated for a moment. She looked into his eyes and knew he wasn't prepared to know the truth. This was not the right moment.

"You are a man with a lot of magic."

"A man that turns green when his powers are high? Come on, that's not normal!"

Belle giggled a bit at his blunt statement. He looked upset at her, probably thinking she was not taking him seriously. So, to ease his mind, she kissed him again. Rumpelstiltskin was being reluctant to engage in the kiss, his mind too haunted by many unanswered questions. But her lips never left his. She pressed them a bit harder, wanting to enter his mouth and, after a weak fight, he finally gave in. Belle let a soft moan of contentment when he let her tongue slip into his warmth and placed one hand on his cheek, deepening the kiss. Soon Rumpelstitlskin would let all his worries drift away as he let himself slowly drown in Belle's embrace. They kissed gently and eagerly for a long while. Then Belle gently broke the kiss, stood up, took Rumpelstiltskin's hand in hers and guided him out of the depressing room.

They resumed their pleasant kiss on her bed, on top of her red rose sheets. Soft moans were shared and their hands explored each other's body, caressing their sensitive areas. Belle closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling but after some time she realized, Rumpelstiltskin was not fully there with her. She rolled over, so she was on top of him and kissed his lips a few more times.

"Your mind is not here Rumpel." Belle accused with a whisper in his ear and licked it afterwards, causing a soft whimper from her lover. "Don't let your troubles get in the way." She pressed her vulva against his crotch making her point. He was far from being ready.

"I'm sorry, Belle. I just can't keep those images out of my mind." He confessed afflicted. "I can't…understand how I could…" He broke his sentencel. He was unable to speak the words out loud. Kill them remained implicit.

"You have to ask yourself why you wanted them dead." Belle said as she sat strait on him and caressed his bare chest with her hands.

"I didn't want them dead!"

"Are you sure? Because you did kill them." Belle pointed out. Rumpelstiltskin made such an agonized expression that she immediatly regretted being so forward. "You must have hated them. Did you hate them?" No response, only the troubled look in dark brown orbs. "What happened between you and the Duke?" At this, Belle sensed Rumpelstiltskin's body stiffen, all his muscles tensed and his eyes shifted from anxious to something dark. Her question transported his thoughts back to that night. But still he refused to talk and Belle could sense he was shutting himself in a shell, keeping her out. She needed a new strategy. "Summon up that moment that made you so angry, you would have killed if you could." Rumpelstitlskin looked surprised by the request and Belle could read the hesitation in his eyes. She could already see the pain and the anger in them and realized, whatever the Duke did to him in the past, it had left its mark in the core of his soul. And whatever this wound was, it had allowed something very dark to develop in his heart.

"Once..." he started hesitant "...the Duke made me kiss his boot in front of my son." He told her in a voice extremely calm and deprived of emotion. But Belle could read the hatred in his eyes. "Sometimes, in my mind, I go back…" He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. He was envisioning his humiliating moment. The mocking laughter burned in his ears, the insults he was forced to swallow up were repeated over and over and over again. "…and I'll rip out his throat, and I'll crunch his veins with my teeth." He said in a slightly shaky voice. He pulled his head back as Belle's soft fingers caressed his neck, a strange pleasure filling his dark thoughts and taking over his mind. Belle smirked, understanding the origin of her slave's darkness.

"He humiliated you. Forced you to swallow up feelings of degradation, of frustration and of powerlessness." Belle said as she slowly moved her hips, rubbing her body against his, stimulating him. He opened his eyes and there was a mix of surprise and wonder. His breath was caught up in his throat. She understood him. "It all piled up into pure hatred." Belle continued and smiled as a dark lust invaded his brown orbs. She pressed her vulva harder against his crouch, making Rumpelstiltskin moan, his body stiffening under her touch. His gaze was locked on hers and he started breathing faster. Pleasure was building up in his body as Belle spoke aloud the feelings he long had trapped, hidden and locked away inside his soul. Feelings he long had denied. Feelings that desired to be brought out into the open. "Your piled up hatred was finally allowed to be freed when you faced the Duke today." Belle whispered and traced kisses from his belly, up his chest till she met his lips. "It was the long waited payback time." They locked their gazes for seconds. Rumpelstiltskin was wearing an expression of blissfull shock, of lusty understanding, of dark pleasure. He kissed Belle madly and grabbed her hips with some force, turning her over, so he was now lying on top of her. Belle closed her eyes and pulled her head back as her lover quickly ripped off the rest of her clothing, pulled her hips closer to him and pushed himself inside of her.

"Don't stop." He begged. He needed to hear those words. He needed Belle to free his repressed feelings. He needed to released hidden secrets and heal. Belle put her arms around him and pulled him closer to her, while she widened her legs for him.

"Your anger was channelized through crude power. Each time you heard the sound of metal spearing flesh, each time you saw the dark blood flood from a whimpering body; you felt waves of pleasure tingle through your whole body." Belle's words increased her lover's passion, the dark lust making him whimper of immeasurable pleasure on top of her, the forbidden secrets making him push hard and eagerly against her wet walls. Belle too felt consumed by dark passion, as the words she uttered reminded her of the same feelings she experienced so long ago, when she avenged years of emotional torture under her husband's domination. "Pleasure that travelled through your whole existence, all the way back to your core!" The temperature rose, the tension increased, their bodies sweated of sweet agony, working their way up to their climax.

"Don't stop!" Rumpelstiltskin demanded, his mind consumed by dark lust, by the forbidden liberation of sinister longings.

"You felt powerful! Invincible! Ah!... Unstoppable!" Belle yelled between her painful moans. Rumpelstitlskin moved erratically in and out of her and Belle felt the wave of mad pleasure sweep over her entire body. Her passionate moans were echoed and soon silence took over the room.

…

Rumpelstiltskin sat on his couch. He sat forward, slightly bent, his elbows resting on his upper legs, his chin resting on his clutched hands. His eyes were fixed on the moving flames of the fireplace. He couldn't sleep. Belle's words during the afterglow were still burning in his years.

"And that is how magic is made. Dark magic." She had said. He had lay on his back and closed his eyes momentarily. Images of blood streaming out of flesh flashed before his closed eyelids.

"Bloodlust." He had whispered, opening his eyes and meeting hers.

"I like the phrase." She had whispered back with a grin.

_Bloodlust_

The way to make dark magic. And he had wielded it today unaware. He had wielded dark magic without any guidance, instructions or orders. It had been all his own initiative. His own dark desires. Him. The whole time him, and nobody else.

His eyes didn't leave the hypnotizing yellow flames. Rumpelstiltskin was confronted with a side of him he had always denied. A side he always had known to have, but buried it away, far away, in a hidden corner of his soul. Because maybe if he ignored it, it would cease from existing. Because it scared him. His dark side. Since child, he would have horrible thoughts about those who hurt him or his beloved ones. Violent thoughts. Twisted fantasies of him torturing in the most cruel and vicious possible manner. Fantasies so vile, so sickening, he never revealed them to any living soul. He knew they were wrong. He knew society condemned them and would call them evil. Even if they were just thoughts.

Others saw him as a passive and calm man, but they had no idea of the fire that resided in him and wanted to explode in its destructiveness. They had no idea of the ruthless visions his mind years, it had been his way in coping with the frustration, anger and hatred boiled up inside of him, when people hurt him and he could do nothing against it. But they had been always nothing more than thoughts.

Until today.

Now he questioned himself of what kind of person he would be if he had power. A violent one? A merciless one? Yet, he had spared young Jason. He knew him to be a good lad and good-hearted. Jason was unlike the others. The others were the real cowards. Shadows of the Duke, misusing his power and imitating his humiliating actions. They hurt for sport, a ridiculous display of the little power they possessed over the villagers.

Rumpelstitlskin's eyes reflected the fireplace's flames. Yes, he had a dark side. Yes, he had vile fantasies he could put in practice if he had the power. Yes, he could kill cold-blooded. Strangely, he accepted this facet easier than he could expect. Because, during his musings, during his internal dialogue, he came to peace with his opposite sides. The one of good and the one of darkness. Living together, side by side, in a conflicted balance. Yes, he could act like a monster. But only to those who asked for it. It was his choice.

And so, during this restless night, Rumpelstiltskin make a new pact with himself and created a new concept of justice. Hurt those who deserved it. Save those who earned it.

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**So, what are your thoughts about this chapter?**

**Please, do review :)**


	23. The Secret

**Thank you for your kind and supportive reviews: MissiB, qatzol, Guest, Nami Swannn, orthankg1, juju0268, Ladii Emelia, Twyla Mercedes, Grace5231973, ctdg, ujemaima, **

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Two weeks had passed by since Rumpelstiltskin had his revenge with the Duke, since he accepted his dark side. But now he was back to his old self and was busy helping out the Dark One with the overflow of calls. The Duke's call had been the first from an avalanche of desperate souls craving for help as they suffered the severe winter's consequences. Belle distributed the calls, giving the easier ones to Rumpelstiltskin. Still, they were practically every day in different kingdoms, working separately during several hours. It had been ages since Belle got this much work and she was, therefore, glad she had her slave to take part of the burden.

Rumpelstiltskin enjoyed this new function very much and found it to be a great substitute to the old chores. It got him outside of the castle, he got to see and talk with other people (even if they were terrified of him for being the Dark One's messenger) and he got to see a complete new world of magic, marvels and oddities. He was surprised to realize that, just like the Duke had a magical table, many people secretly possessed a magical item. He came across the strangest things and situations. He met a rich tailor's son who had a donkey that spewed forth a whole sheetful of gold coins when one cried out the strange word _Bricklebrit_! He dealt with a wealthy farmer and his wife for their goose that laid golden eggs. During his deal making, Rumpelstiltskin met a blind woodcutter with an axe that would cut off anything, even the hardest stone. And one day he returned to the castle with an odd yellow cat. The strange animal not only talked (in a foreign accent) but it insisted in wearing boots and a sumptuous hat with feathers on it.

_Puss in Boots, _the strange cat had presented itself. It had given unwanted company to the slave during few days, until the Dark One gave the animal to a village that needed to get rid of a magical giant. The spinner wondered how a small feline was supposed to defeat such a dangerous and mighty creature. But, on the other hand, he knew how cunning and astute the cat was. He trusted Puss in Boots would somehow find a way. Rumpelstitlskin never had been so glad in getting rid of an animal and understood the reason cats weren't meant to talk. The feline had been nothing but assertive, bigheaded and quite the stalker. It followed the spinner everywhere in the castle, overloaded him with questions and played tricks on him. Rumpelstitlskin didn't loathe the cat, he was merely relieved to get rid of an unwanted burden. But even with the feline's absence, Puss in Boots still found a way to bother Rumpelstitlskin. There had something it had said during its short stay in the castle that never left the slave's mind.

"You know, she's hiding a secret from you." The cat had once said, while Rumpelstitlskin was preparing himself to go to sleep.

"Really, dearie? She probably has thousands of secrets but won't reveal any to me." He countered. The feline was licking his paw and stopped for a few seconds to stare at the spinner. Despite his annoying behavior towards the human, Puss in Boots quite liked the man and was becoming increasingly worried about one thing the Dark One was hiding. Her pregnancy. As soon as the feline met her, he knew it. And since the two humans bedded every night, he figured out the spinner was the father. But Rumpelstiltskin was absolutely oblivious about the situation and the cat found it unfair.

"But _this_ secret is directly related to _you_." The cat had whispered, widening its green clever eyes and pointing a claw at him.

Rumpelstitlskin had shrugged his shoulders, dismissed the comment with a chuckle and ignored the cat's words that night. And the following morning and the day after and the following. But the feline's words hung in the back of his head at all times, making him wonder, nagging him. By each passing day, the curiosity became increasingly bothersome until it reached an unbearable point. It was like having a small pebble in the shoe, annoying to insanity till the moment it was dispatched. Since the cat was gone and had not wished to elaborate further his conviction, the spinner concluded the best was to try to get the truth out of Belle herself. So, one day, Rumpestitlskin summoned all the courage he could and decided to confront her and to put the question out in the open. He took a few deep breaths and climbed the endless stairway to the highest tower. He knew she would be in her working room and so he headed towards there. He reached the tall wooden doors and knocked on them.

"Belle. It's me… May I come in?" He waited a while, his head to the side and close to the door, listening for any sound, but nothing. Only silence. "Belle?" He knocked again and this time pressed his ear against the door.

By doing such, the door was pushed by his weight and opened only slightly. Rumpelstiltskin was truly surprised. The door was not locked. He placed his hand on the wood to gently push it further so it opened enough for him to peek. He looked inside the division from one side to the other. She was not in there. He furrowed his brow in concern. The Dark One would never leave her workroom unprotected, even more with the door open. It took some seconds for the spinner to decide to venture the room. He slowly paced in the division, his eyes scanning it, confirming she was indeed absent. _How odd_. He thought. He gave one last look around, feeling uncomfortable, like he was intruding her private quarters (which he was actually doing and was sure he would be punished if she discovered). So he decided to search for Belle elsewhere. But then, his eyes fell on a large book, lying open on the middle of the table. He hesitated, but something inside of him seemed to draw him to the book. He walked a few steps, until he was standing by the table and bended slightly closer so he could read. With a finger tracing the letters, he read the words of the open page.

_"Shamans foresaw a world of darkness, horrors and fears never before seen by mortal eyes. Seers prophesized the doom of an entire race. Then men, wizards and fairies combined forces to fight the powerful creatures. Lord Kozailon, Master of Fire, led the armies of Primordials."_

Rumpelstitlskin's eyes widened when he read the last word. He had grown up with tales of the powerful beings. He remembered his grandmother recounting him old stories about the First People. About their greatness and power. About their superior knowledge of magic and the ways of the world. About their fall. He closed the book and turned it to read its cover.

"Book of Beginnings." He whispered mystified, wondering why the Dark One had a book about the First People. He opened the book again, and started reading it from the beginning, completely forgetting why he was in his mistress workroom, and above all, without her authorization.

_In the beginning, there was a great orb that hung unmoving in the middle of darkness. The orb contained in it the elements of Life, Magic and Light. Darkness was cold, old and tired of being alone and of staring endlessly at the orb with bright colors. Therefore, one day, Darkness broke the orb and released all the Life, Magic and Light it contained. The orb's particles spread themselves in the Darkness and married it, so Light and Darkness became one. The Universe was born with million stars, suns and planets. Life created a multitude of realms, each possessing its own beings, rules and marvels. Magic settled itself in most realms, living it them in its many forms. Magic's favorite realm was a world of tall mountains, great lakes and green trees. Magic loved this realm so much, it made a deal with Life and created its first inhabitants. The First People, otherwise known as Primordials. They were born from the essence of Life, Nature and Magic themselves. There were four races of Primordials. Four Forces of Nature, bounded by the Elements. The House of Earth, strong in wisdom and sense. The House of Air, strong in mysteries and spirituality. The House of Water, strong in emotions and perception. The House of Fire, strong in power and regulation."_

Rumpelstitlskin ceased reading and turned the pages, watching the drawings that accompanied the book and depicted some historical moments. The birth of wizards and witches, the birth of prophets and seers, the birth of fairies, mermaids and ogres. The birth of men. The book was divided in chapters that told the history of the four Houses of Primordials, describing the names, the years and rule of the several lords and ladies. Rumpelstitlskin's fingers continued turning page after page but suddenly halted. There was a drawing of a stone that looked exactly like the one he was wearing around his neck. Confused and with an unpleasant feeling in his gut, he turned a few pages back, to read the chapter's title. He felt his heart leap and the air die in his lungs when he stumbled in the chapter's words.

_"The initiation of a Primordial"_.

Rumpelstitlskin read with a racing heart about Primordials and their training to master their powers. While he read, his mind was wondering if this was the secret Puss in Boots was talking about. While he read, he wondered if the history of Primordials had something to do with him, but his mind already wanted to believe he was fantasizing. He read Primordials were born with magic in a dormant state. He read they grew up like ordinary children and only learned to master magic when they reached the age of 12. He read the magic always skipped one generation, so the training was always passed from grandparent to grandchild. That the older the Primordial was, the more difficult it was to activate and master the magic. That it was possible to live with magic without ever being aware of it, without ever using it. Finally, he read about a ritual that activated magic in adult Primordials. A ritual with great risks, requiring a lot of power, the countering element and a magical stone. Rumpelstiltskin though he was going to throw up when he read the countering element for the House of Fire was water and the magical stone was amber.

The world stopped still. Rumpelstitlskin rested both hands on each side of the table, next to the book, open in the page with the amber stone's drawing. He stood bend over the book, his hair hanging on his face. He was breathing fast, his heart was racing madly, his whole body shaking, tremors running down his arms and legs. His brains were trying to process what he had just read. His brains were connecting the dots, the impossible coincidences, the Dark One's intentions. And like if destiny had a strange humor in timing, Belle entered the room when her slave was in the middle of this inner turmoil.

Belle was first surprised to see Rumpelstitlskin in her workroom, but then she saw the way he was bend over the table. And she realized he had read the Book of Beginnings and that he had discovered his true nature. And she knew _she_ was in great trouble now. Belle could already feel the thickness of magic around Rumpelstiltskin. She could sense the dark vibes around him. Still, she remained calm and decided to take a steady approach.

"Rumpelstitlskin." She spoke in a voice calmer than she had expected, for she was scared of his reaction.

It had been many centuries since Belle had experienced fear, but the electric energies flowing around her slave were overwhelmingly powerful and intimidating. He shot his head in her direction, facing her directly and Belle was petrified with the expression on his face. His eyes were darker than ever, his face contorted from anger, his hair hanging on his face, making him look dangerously mad. She saw the way his eyes shrunk in fury when he stood up. He closed the book with a thump and turned to her, holding it with his both hands. Belle could feel all the cells in her body yelling at her to flee, she could feel all the signals of panic growing in her being, but still she maintained a cool and calm façade.

"You!" Rumpelstiltskin spoke with a dark low voice, accusation omnipresent in his tone. Belle hid internal tremors when she watched immobile as he took slow steps towards her, while his eyes dilated, became large and magical, his hair curled completely and his skin turned to a sickening shade of green. "You knew all the time! You knew _what_ I was all the time!"

"Rumpel…" Belle pleaded with her perfect controlled voice, while her insides wanted to give away.

"You used me! You took me and used me!" He lifted the book a bit furiously. "You transformed into _this! _This…this_…thing!_ This monster! You will not make of me a monster! I will not allow you to make of me _your_ monster!" He halted when he stood opposite to Belle. It took all her bravery to look into his darkened magical eyes, filled with anger and loathing. It took all her courage to keep on the walls of self-confidence, when all she wanted was to crumble to the ground.

"You are not a monster." She whispered. Rumpelstitlskin let out a groan of fury and threw the book on the ground with a loud bang, so Belle jumped back afraid.

"No. _You_ are the monster! How could you? You bloody toyed with me the whole time! You lied to me with this crap about magic! You made me believe I actually meant something to you!"

"Rumpel, you do mean a lot to me." Belle said with all her honesty and rested her hands on his shoulders, looking right into his greenish golden eyes. For a fraction of a second she read hope in them, but the curtain of hurt and betrayal covered them too quickly.

"Liar! All you care is you and your power! I'm nothing more than an instrument for your power! That's why you made this deal with me!"

"Only in the beginning. You must believe me Rumpelstitlskin. In the beginning I indeed only wanted your powers. I only cared to activate the magic inside of you and explore it. But then something changed." Rumpelstitltskin grunted like a hurt animal and grabbed her arms, throwing them down, not wanting to feel her touch neither looking at her deceiving eyes.

"Liar." He muttered wounded. Belle stared at him with watery eyes, her cool façade breaking while her heart was invaded by new fears. The fear of losing him.

"I care for you Rumpelstitlskin!"

"No you don't!"

"I do care! Why won't you believe me?"

"Because all you love is your power!" Rumpelstitlskin screamed furiously and Belle felt the air leave her lungs. Tears were already cascading her eyes. She knew he was going to leave her and in this moment she felt something break inside her chest.

"I love you_._" She uttered, followed by a painful sob. Rumpelstitlskin stared at her in shock. "I love _you_!" She repeated, with more conviction, tears blinding her sight and staining her pretty face. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide her trembling lips and the sound of her sobs. She knew he would leave her and she knew she would die the moment he did.

Time seemed to have stopped still and seconds stretched like centuries. Rumpelstiltskin stared wide eyed at Belle, his face and body stiffened by surprise. Her words had paralyzed him completely. His mind had gone frozen, his fury forgotten. His energy quickly diminished and his appearance went from grotesque to normal. Belle uncovered her mouth at stared at him with her pleading large blue eyes. He looked lost, hopeful but scared.

"Y-You…love me?" He whispered, his voice betraying his skepticism. Belle nodded and chuckled in a sob. Slowly and carefully, Rumpelstiltskin stretched his arm, trembling fingers reaching for her face. He touched her cheek in such a soft and ghostly manner that Belle burst in uncontrollable sobs.

"Please…Don't leave me!" She begged in pure despair and threw herself on him, her arms around his neck.

"You really love me?" Rumpelstiltskin asked again, still not believing her confession, but feeling suddenly all fuzzy and happy.

"Yes." Belle muttered again and looked into his eyes. "Promise you won't leave me." Rumpelstiltskin smiled at her honesty and felt a new joy burst in his chest. He pressed his lips on hers and kissed with passion. He kissed her tears away afterwards and tightened their embrace.

"I thought I had told you already…I'll stay with you forever."

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**Made references to: ****Golden-Donkey (Brothers Grimm), The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs (Aesop's tales) and The Booted Cat (French literary fairy tale) based on the interpretation of "Shreck". The Blinded Woodcutter appears in the series "the 10th kingdom".**

**So...what are your thoughts about the chapter?**

**Please review ;)**


	24. The Search

**Thank you all for your kind reviews and continuous support: Grace5231973, orthankg1, Stargate533, MissiB, juju0268, thedoctorsgirl42, I am Tiny 7, Twyla Mercedes, Tamha, xanimejunkie, Nami Swannn, ctdg, Ladii Emelia.**

**Note: about the pregnancy… all I can say now is: everything in its time.**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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Rumpelstitlskin pressed his lips on Belle's and kissed passionately, the emotions waiting to burst out for what felt like ages, finally released. He murmured "I love you" between his kisses and Belle surrendered completely to his touches. The world she had known as a messy and depressive place vanished completely away as she willingly allowed herself to drown in his taste, in his scent, in his caresses. He brought her to a new wonderful world. A marvelous world she had been scared at first, because it was unknown to her. It made her feel vulnerable and, therefore, weak. But now, everything felt right. Everything fell in the right place.

Belle had always understood love as something that makes us sick. Something that haunts our dreams, destroys our days. She truly believed love had killed more than any disease. But now she could see the real essence of love. She could taste it, breathe it, be one with it. Thanks to Rumpelstitlskin she knew now love is layered. Love is a mystery to be uncovered. It's the most wonderful and amazing thing in the world. Love is hope; it fuels our dreams.

Overwhelmed by the emotions that took hold over her mind, body and soul, Belle submitted completely to the new feeling.

She felt her body be swept along with his as purple smoke surrounded them and brought the couple to her bedroom. They locked their eyes, azure on brown. She whispered on his lips the love she felt for him and he echoed the words back in a shaky mutter. She found his hand and laced her fingers around his. Rumpelstitlskin brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. He planted small electrifying kisses from her hand, up her arm, all the way up to her collarbone. Belle breathed fast, with a smile on her lips, as she enjoyed each and every small kiss he planted on her creamy skin. He removed her clothing without any haste, one piece at the time. His fingertips travelled all over her body, followed by his lips and tongue. Belle lay relaxed and pleasantly, her eyes closed, relishing each and every small touch her lover offered her. She helped him remove his clothes too, surprisingly patiently. They engaged in a long, slow, tender kiss, tongues enjoying the familiar warmth and wetness of their mouths. Their naked bodies were wrapped around each other, hands moving around, traveling up and down their back, squeezing soft flesh.

Moans and satisfying groans followed, as they connected their bodies and danced together, slow, lovingly, pleasingly. Belle and Rumpelstiltskin expressed their love for each other through caresses and kisses, whispers and promises. The beauty pulled her head back, her breathing fastening as her lover moved unhurriedly in and out her wetness, his tongue playing with her breasts, his teeth nibbling her nipples and soft skin around them. Never in her life had she connected with a man this way. She didn't even imagine it was possible for a male to act so torturously slow, hitting her inside with small but strong trusts, increasing the pleasure by the second, prolonging the passion to long minutes, delaying the climax to an unbearable, but absolutely amazing point. Belle could feel his body burn inside of hers. She desperately grasped his humid hair with one hand, the other burying her nails on his back. His hands were holding her in a strong grip, holding her by the shoulders and he released his accumulated energy generously inside of her. Their eyes were locked, irises expanded from love and lust. Their sweaty skins slid and rub against each other in a dangerous dance. Belle pressed her legs together, tightening his body inside of her, while he pulled her legs apart, widening them to have full access to her deepest and most sensible part. They struggled for moments, Belle contracting insanely and trembling wildly; Rumpelstitlskin pounding faster and harder. Their slow love had brought them to a mad state of pain and pleasure. Release was urgent. It came hard, intense and in great waves of pleasure that invaded and spread through their bodies, all the way to their souls, making them scream of relief and satisfaction. They kissed breathless, their love having consumed every bit of their bodies. Arms and legs were wrapped around each other, both reluctant to let the other go, needing to feel the other's fever go down. And while their lungs and hearts slowly restored to their normal rhythm, the lovers let themselves succumb into a sweet sleep.

…

Far away from the Dark Castle, a young teenager wandered off in the main road, looking rather demoralized. It was the third village he had visited the past days and again, he came out of it empty handed. Baelfire sighed and continued his journey to an unknown destiny, holding on to his new mission. Finding his father.

The world had taken many turns since his father was gone. After Rumpelstitlskin disappeared that night with the Dark One, Baelfire woke up the village with his agony, crying out for the father he had lost. He told the people about the deal but Rumpelstilstkin, being labeled coward for many years, was immediately accused of abandoning the child. Only hours later, after the sun rose and daylight illuminated the world, did the villager's watch in wonder as the skies became clear and blue, instead of thick and red as they had grown used to. Before noon, a Duke's soldier came to report the end of the Ogre's Wars. People were shocked and realized the boy's words were true. They were devastated by the action of their fellow villager. Baelfire failed to understand how a community could shift their opinion about somebody so easily and so quickly as it had been in Rumpelstiltskin's case. From one moment to the other, he ascended from coward to brave. He was once loathed and despised, now loved and admired. From that day on, the villagers showed nothing but reverent respect for Baelfire, the son of their local hero. The teenager struggled to go on with his daily life, the overly sweet compassion he received from the locals only reminding him he was now fatherless. But he had to honor his father's sacrifice and so he practiced everything Rumpelstiltskin had taught him in the past.

But then the world spun even faster and crazily after a strange event in the Duke's castle. Rumpelstitlskin's out-of-character actions had been confirmed the day following Jason's recount. The Duke came to the village to visit the young spinner. He had been terrified beyond terror, begged on his knees for forgiveness for ever hurting him or his father in the past. He brought gold and other riches Baelfire was shocked and forced to receive. And after the Duke left, hell was unleashed in the small village. If Baelfire was first seen as the son of the village's cowardly cripple; then as the son of the local hero; he was now perceived as the son's beast. After the Duke's visit, Rumpelstitlskin's actions were retold over and over, and by each new recount, a new version was created so the story became the more exaggerated and the more fantastic. By the end of the day, their hero was stripped of all his admirable traits to be transformed into a vile creature, a monster, a demon. Rumpelstiltskin's image became more horrendous, more terrifying and more cruel by the passing day. He was now a beast that slaughtered for the pleasure of seeing blood, savored the tears of raped women and skinned little innocent children for their pelts.

It had taken few days for Baelfire to decide and leave his hometown. He couldn't handle the gossip and the stares anymore. He could not stand the untrue accusations and judgments. But above all, Baelfire couldn't stand to sit quietly behind the spinning wheel and do nothing. His thoughts were anxious and filled with worries about his father over day. At night he woke up screaming and sweating as he dreamt horrors about the person he loved the most.

Baelfire knew the villager's tales were overrated, but he also knew his father had truly changed. He had read the same look of horror in the Duke's eyes as he first saw in Jason's. He knew now his father was not only capable of killing in cold blood, but also that his appearance changed. And he now feared the Dark One had transformed Rumpelstiltskin in some kind monster. Yet, Baelfire knew his father's heart had not been completely corrupted. He knew, somewhere inside of the creature that killed the Duke's men, there was still a good man. Otherwise he wouldn't have let Jason escape. Otherwise he wouldn't have spared the Duke's life. And so, Baelfire packed his stuff, paid farewell to the Sonyards, who had been kind in taking him in (and left them with a generous part of his riches) and left his birth village to search his father.

Baelfire had decided he would travel the entire world if needed. He would find his father and he would bring back the good inside of him. The teenager had been first despondent after another fruitless visit in a nearby village. But while he headed to the next village, a new flame of determination took hold of him. He knew now, that when you find something that's worth fighting for, you never give up. The Dark One can't keep them apart forever. He'll fight for his papa. He'll never stop fighting for him!

…

It took another week for Baelfire to finally get a small glimpse of hope in his difficult quest. He had walked many miles and crossed several small villages, when he arrived Tobias' hometown. The teenager headed to the wool trader's home in hope he could stay in the man's house for the night, instead of an inn. He had gained plenty of money from the Duke's distress, but he had no idea how many more nights he would need to rent a room. It was already evening when the boy knocked on Tobias'door. He was welcomed by the warm-hearted face of his wife, who immediately invited the child for dinner and a stay over. But the moment Baelfire entered the humble house, he knew something was wrong. Tobias sat on a chair and stared at him ghostly, looking all at the sudden pale.

"Tobias, are you all right?" His wife asked, when she noticed the change after she announced Baelfire's presence.

"Y-Yes, yes. Nothing to matter." He dismissed smilingly. "Come on, bring supper for the boy. The lad looks hungry."

Tobias's wife complied smilingly and soon, Baelfire was eating warm pea soup. The teenager was grateful for their hospitality and they chatted easy subjects about the daily life. But then Tobias' wife asked if the stories about his father were true. Baelfire noticed, while he expressed his worries about Rumeplstitlskin, the way the wool trader tensed, shifted in his chair and his eyes looked nervous. He urged to ask the man the question that was burning in his tongue, but the presence of the carefree woman in the living room made him stop. It was only after she wished them goodnight and headed to bed that Baelfire confronted Tobias.

"Do you have news of my father?" Tobias again looked uncomfortable, his eyes fixed on his hands as he didn't dare to stare in to the hopeful teenager's eyes. "Please. I need to know."

"I saw him." He finally said after a long hesitation. "I saw him in Khalsier. In the beginning of December." Tobias finally had the courage to look at the face of the expectant boy. "He wanted to know how you were. Worried, of course." He said kindly, but his smile was sad. "He…He was not alone. He was with a… a young woman." Tobias continued, trying to hide his fear, remembering the icy blue eyes, piercing him, threatening him. Baelfire stared at him confused, this not being what he expected to hear. "She bought him a scarf made of your spun wool. Like if it was a present for him… Baelfire, your father was scared."

"Is she?"

"Yes." Tobias heard Baelfire gulp at the revelation. "She's beyond beautiful, but her eyes…They are cold, dangerous, cruel. She threatened me before leaving. She told me I never saw her…" Tobias sighed guiltily. "This is the first time I ever spoke about this."

"Do you think my father might have returned to Khalsier?"

"I have no idea. I know I don't have the courage to go there in the near future."

There was a heavy silence. Baelfire could not believe his father had been in the winter market, where they headed every year. He could not believe the Dark One. And he was dead worried. His father had been scared back then, but now he was transformed in some creature that had showed no problems in killing the Duke's men. His father and the Dark One were becoming more and more of a mystery to him.

On the other hand, he had a lead. He was happy to finally have a destination and his heart filled with a renewed hope. Maybe there were more people in Khalsier who had seen his father or this beautiful young woman. Baelfire demanded a full description from the Dark One, so he could inquire people if they had seen her or his father. He got up and took Tobias's hands in his, shaking them vigorously and thanking him over and over again. The wool trader grimaced uneasily. He was glad he could shed some light in the boy's quest, but he feared for the teenager's fate, just like he did for Rumpelstitlskin's.

The next morning Baelfire left Tobias' house in high spirits. He took again the main road and knew he had a few days journey by foot before he would reach Khalsier. But this time, he had a renewed energy and goal that wouldn't be able to slow him down. Baelfire had the feeling he would receive more answers in the next town.

…

Rumpelstiltskin got ready to make a new deal for his mistress. He put his cloak on and teletransported to a harbor city. He sighed and shook away an awkward feeling that had bothered him the whole morning. The uneasy feeling he always had after dreaming with his son. Dreams were the only place where he still could meet the boy but they always made him miserable, as he was reminded of the deal he had made half a year ago. He let the thoughts about his son dissipate while he walked to the tavern where he was to meet a man specialized in hard-to-find-objects. This man, that went by the name Smee, had apparently found a magical bean. Why the Dark One wanted a magic bean was to him a mystery, just like most of her businesses. But he had stopped questioning his mistress' motivations already long ago.

Rumpelstiltskin entered the tavern, filled with loud men and the smell of bier. He felt nervous. This was the first time Belle had required him to use a major spell. He was to cast a time spell. Push the clock backwards, if the man was true to his word, and turn him into a little boy; or push the clock forewords, if the man failed in his part of the bargain, and turn him into a decrepit old man.

The spinner took a deep breath and headed to the table at the corner, at the darkest and most hidden part of the tavern. He already could see a man with a red cap, fidgeting with his fingers and looking as nervous as Rumpelstitlskin felt. He slowly walked to the man. And he truly wished Smee had brought the magical bean with him.

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**Soooo? **

**What do you think of the chapter?**

**Please review ;)**


	25. Pirate's Games

**Thank you: juju0268, Twyla Mercedes, RoxyMoron, MissiB, Grace5231973, Nami Swannn, thedoctorsgirl42, I am Tiny, ctdg, xanimejunkie, Ladii Emelia, ujemaima, orthankg1**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin crossed the tavern towards the darkest corner and sat silently at the table, where the man with a floppy red hat sat.

"It really is you! The Dark One's messenger, in the flesh. Or… Whatever that is." Smee said sounding nervously excited. He had heard the rumors of the man's ability in transforming himself in some sort of monster and wondered truly what he was. Rumpelstitlskin, not really being in the mood for any kind of conversation, decided to go straight to business.

"I understand you, being a man who trades some hard to find objects, brought something for the Dark One." Rumpelstitlskin started. "Like a bean."

"Yes. A magic bean that can transport you between worlds." The man said with glinting eyes and nodding his head vigorously. The spinner looked at him suspiciously.

"I've been told they no longer exist in this land."

"Not in this land, no. But the ships that dock here often return from far off lands with treasures they don't always understand."

"And yet, you do?" The spinner said, not hiding any of his skepticism in his voice. Smee smiled, realizing this man was more curious than dangerous.

"It's my job. As is knowing the rumors of who might pay the highest price for said treasures." They stopped their conversation as a barmaid brought two tin mugs with beer. As soon as she walked away, Rumpelstitlskin bent over the table to talk lower and Smee came closer too.

"What kind of rumors have you heard?" He whispered, hoping this man could give some extra information so he could figure out what his mistress' intentions were.

"That you were once a great coward…" Smee regretted his words immediately, reading first surprise and then anger in the other man's dark eyes. "… but that you became the Dark One' messenger to overcome that and protect the… uh, son who you lost, despite all…"

"It's not nice to spread rumors!" Rumpelstitlskin spat, not really expecting the man to know his past story, even less to bring it up. The wave of laughter coming from a table nearby made him decide he had enough of this unpleasant tavern. "The bean. Where is it?"

"I don't have it on me." Smee felt his heart jump when he read the look of horror in the other man's face. "But, just give me a second, I have it hidden. I'll be back in no time."

Rumpelstiltskin sighed relieved, believing for some moments he would have to spin the clock forward and turn the man into dust. He watched Smee leave the bar in a rush and took another sip of his beer. He heard again a group of men laughing loud and turned to look at the table, feeling irritated by all the noise. His heart froze when his eyes recognized one of the men. He stood up and prepared to leave the bar. Killian Jones. A good-looking man in his thirties, with black hair and light eyes, wearing a black leather suit. Rumpelstitlskin could feel his heart rate speed, could feel his chest rise up and down faster than it should. His fists were clenched so hard, his nails broke his skin, his knuckles turned white from the pressure. Rumpelstitlskin's murderous eyes followed the man until he reached the exit door. Without thinking and completely forgetting about the deal with Smee, he stood up and followed the man that kidnapped his wife years ago. The man that had made his child motherless. The man that had stolen the last little dignity he still had left back then. He stepped outside and breathed the cool air, snow mixed with salt. He walked behind Jones and covered his head with his cloak's hood. He paced faster and bumped deliberately into the pirate's arm to get his attention.

"Hey, you. Stop! Even gutter rats have more manners than you just displayed." Killian Jones yelled upset by the small blow.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir." Rumpelstitlskin said with his head low so the other man could not see his face and his grin, which was growing wicked.

"Ah… I was wrong. Not a rat at all. More… More like a small mouse." The pirate joked noticing the clear difference in height. He kicked him over and smirked maliciously. "What's your name, little mouse?" He watched coolly as the smaller man stood up, but the smirk on his face was wiped away the moment Rumpelstitlskin removed the hood and stared back at him defiantly. "You! I remember you!"

"Always nice to make an impression. Where are my manners? We haven't been properly introduced. Rumpelstiltskin." He said with an eloquent bow, using the pirate's mocking words he was forced to swallow years ago. "Or, as others know me, the Dark One's messenger." Killian Jones' face tensed. He noticed Rumpelstitlskin wasn't hopping anymore from his bad leg. He noticed his eyes were deprived of fear and instead were staring back at him with hate and thirst for revenge. But what worried him the most was, to what point were the rumors he heard lately true about him. "Oh! I see my reputation precedes me." The former cripple said when the pirate failed to react.

"It does."

"Good! That's going to save us time during the… uh, question and answer portion of our game." Rumpelstitlskin announced with an uncharacteristic grin, which the pirate didn't miss.

"What is it you want to know?"

"How's Milah, of course?"

"Who?"

"Only too happy to dig out the memory, but it gets really messy." He threatened, wanting to see the fear in the other man's face grow.

"She's dead. Died a long time ago." Killian Jones sadly said. He witnessed a complete change in the other man's face. The maliciousness and confidence from a moment ago disappeared and was replaced by shock and pain. He could see, even after all these years, Rumpelstiltskin still cared for his wife. But that was not something that really bothered him, by the contrary. He was in advantage now. "What is it you want?" Jones' arrogant tone only helped to boil the anger inside of Rumpelstitlskin. Hearing the news of his wife's death made his heart cold and bleed. He was going to make Jones pay for his crimes. For all the suffering he and his boy had to go through because of one man's selfishness and greediness. This time, he wasn't going to be a coward. This time, he wasn't backing away. This time he would face the pirate.

"We didn't get a chance to finish our duel." He stated with an impassive expression that somehow intimidated Jones' more than an angry look. He was about the draw out his sword, but Rumpelstitlskin suddenly appeared behind him and took the pirate's sword. "Sorry, but killing a man with his own sword was just too delicious to pass up."

Killian Jones watched with hate and defeat as a new sword appeared in Rumpelstitlskin's left hand, in a puff of purple smoke. He handed the weapon to him and the pirate accepted it reluctantly. Never losing eye contact, they took a few steps apart to create some space. Jones was the first to attack. He was surprised by the other man's abnormal strength and swiftness. His fears were confirmed. Rumpelstiltskin had magic on his side. Magic that made him powerful and gave him the upper hand. Yet, he wouldn't let himself be easily defeated. His blows were fast and fierce, but somehow, the smaller man managed to block all his attacks. And so, the duel was short lived, Killian Jones ending up on the ground, swordless and with his own sword against his throat.

"Go on! I'm ready for the sword." He bravely said, even if his voice shook slightly.

"No." Rumpelstitlskin said coldly. He bent slightly over, locking his gaze with the pirate's "Do you know what it's like to have your wife stolen from you? To feel powerless to stop it? It feels like having your heart ripped from your chest." Rumpelstitlskin's voice was low and stained by pain. Killian Jones could see the hate in his eyes. The anger contorting his features. "Actually, let me show you." Rumpelstiltskin could hear the Dark One's mocking laughter in his head as he magically stuck his hand through the pirate's chest, remembering the day he had refused to rip a unicorn's heart out and claimed he would never do such a thing. He ignored the mocking laughter in his mind. His fingers surrounded the pirate's beating heart. Small trilling chills run down his spine when he heard the other man gasp, his face twisted by pain. He was about to tear out Killian Jones' heart out when…

"Stop!" Rumpelstiltskin froze on the spot. The voice, the female voice was familiar. Way too familiar. He quickly turned his head to confirm his suspicions and felt all the blood drain down his face. Standing there, right in front of him, was nobody else than his wife. Living, breathing and looking absolutely terrified.

"Milah!" He yelled shocked, instantly removing his hand from the pirate's chest. "How?"

"Milah, you have to run." Jones pleaded, fearing the other man's wrath would shift to the woman.

"No. I'm not leaving without you." Milah said decided. Rumpelstiltskin felt his heart sting painfully, break into tiny little pieces and sink into oblivion. Milah cared for the pirate. Loved him. And suddenly, he was questioning the truth about her kidnapping.

"Oh, how sweet." He spoke with venom, taking the sword on his hand and piercing it's point only very slightly in Jones' chest. "It appears there's more to this tale than I know. Tell it to me, Milah!"

"Please, don't hurt him! I can explain." Milah's cracked voice denounced her love and concern for the pirate, increasing the unbearable pain Rumpelstiltskin felt in his own chest. Yet, instead of sorrow, he felt the fire of anger fill his chest.

"Tick tock, dearie! Tick tock!" He spat, pressing the point of Jones' sword in the pirate's chest, causing him to yell out of pain.

"That first night, when Killian and his crew came into the tavern, he told stories about the places he'd been. And I fell in love with him." Rumpelstitlskin felt a pang in his heart as the truth was revealed to him. Milah, seeing the accusing and painful look in her husband eyes, felt guiltier by the second. "I didn't mean for it to turn out this way. I didn't know how to tell you the truth. I'm sorry!"

"And so, here we are." Rumpelstitlskin spoke with an uncharacteristically calm voice. He lifted the sword from Jones' chest, who took a deep breath of relieve. "You've come to save the life of your true love… The pirate!" Milah swallowed dry, having only in extremely rare circumstances seen the spinner mad. "I didn't realize the power of true love before… It is impressive. I'd hate to break it up… Actually, no. I'd love to." He pressed the sword into Killian Jones' side, causing a painful scream come out from the pirate's mouth.

"Wait! I have something you want." Milah suddenly yelled. She saw Rumpelstiltskin roll his eyes, a sign he had enough of this silly game.

"Well, I find that very difficult to believe." Rumpelstiltskin felt his throat dry out when Milah revealed Smee's red hat, suddenly being reminded of the reason he was in the city the first place. He felt fear sweep through his body, afraid of what the Dark One would do to him if he failed in bringing her the so extremely rare bean.

"Where did you get that?" He gasped and Milah smiled internally. She had him in her hand now.

"You know who I took it from. I may not know what the Dark One wants with a magic bean, but I have it." She smugly said. Rumpelstitlskin again removed the sword, for Killian Jones' great relieve.

"Oh, I feel a proposal coming on."

"The magic bean in exchange for our lives. Deal?"

"I want to see it first."

…

It had taken only a few minutes to reach the Jolly Roger. Rumpelstiltskin had to bite his tongue the whole way, watching with bitterness, disgust and envy, as Milah assisted her true love to the ship. Never had she shown this kind of care to him during their time together.

"Milah, what happened?" One of the pirates asked concerned, when they boarded the ship.

"Fetch some water. And get me that prisoner below deck, along with the goods that he carried. Now!" Milah ordered, the urgency all present in her voice.

"Bring up the prisoner!" The pirated shouted.

"Well, well. Seems like you finally found a family you could never have with me." Rumpelstitlskin said as he passed her by, very close. Milah tried not to budge at the closeness that had become unfamiliar. But mostly because, from the moment she saw him, she failed to recognize the man she had known for years as her husband. Meanwhile, the crew dragged Smee up from below deck, much for the spinner's relieve. He still had a chance to end the deal. Milah took a satchel from Smee and let the bean fell out of the bag on her hand. She held it up as evidence for Rumpelstiltskin. He smiled reassured but when he was going to take the magical bean, Milah threw it over to Jones, who clenched it in his hand. The pirate's game had not ended just yet.

"You asked to see it, and now, you have." The overly confident tone in Jones' voice had returned. He felt safe, back in his own ground, with a fierce and loyal crew ready to protect him from the smaller man. Rumpelstitlskin, on the other side, looked the least amused.

"Do we have a deal? Can we go our separate ways?" Milah inquired, needing to make sure her husband, the now well-known beast, would leave them in peace. Little did she know, her last move had hit Rumpelstitlskin's nerve. He had finally lost it. All his patience. All his civism. Instead, he could feel fire of anger built up to a point of saturation.

"Do you mean, do I forgive you?" He spoke with an overly sweet voice. "Can I move on?" He took a few steps so he stood opposite Milah. "Perhaps, perhaps… I can see you are truly in love."

"Thank you." Milah said, mistaking his words for a peaceful agreement.

"Just one question."

"What do you want to know?" Milah sounded annoyed, wishing to get the hell out of this place and be in the sea, in safe waters, away of her changed husband.

"How could you leave Bae?" Rumpelstitlskin's words were like a blow on her face. The failure of a mother, the guiltiness she carried with her for years, pierced her heart mercilessly. She looked up to the spinner's face and sorrow was replaced by fear. There was something different about his eyes. Something inhuman. She startled when several ropes anchored along the ship as they were magically coming undone. "Do you know what it's like, walking home that night…" He took one step forward and she finally could see his eyes properly. Large and strange.

"Rumpel…"

"…knowing I had to tell our son…" Another step closer. Milah could feel goose bumps all over her skin when his hair started curling up in an unnatural manner.

"Please!" She vainly begged, wishing to not see what she was seeing. Wishing to not hear the end of the sentence.

"…that his mother was dead?" Milah fought back tears of regret and guilt. Tears of fear as she stared at a man with a strange skin, greenish-gold, reminding her of a crocodile.

"I was wrong to lie to you. I was the coward, I…"

"You left him! You abandoned him!" He spat furiously. The pain he had to burry for years returned in its crude form. The old memories stabbed his heart. A child crying for his mama. The way he had struggled to raise the boy in difficult times, when the boy was sick, when they had no money, no food. The times he had thought about Milah and imagined her being mistreated and abused by the pirates. Lies and more lies. All he heard from her mouth were lies.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't feel sorry for that!" Milah desperately said to the strange creature standing before her.

"Well, sorry isn't enough! You let him go!" He yelled outraged, his voice high-pitched and filled with anger.

"I let my misery cloud my judgment." She needed him to understand her. It had been a hard marriage for her. She had lived years of depression. She could not bear it anymore and running away with Killian had been her desperate solution. It had been a selfish but still a hard decision to take.

"Why were you so miserable?" He sneered, unable to understand how a woman could ever trade her child for a crew of filthy pirates.

"Because I never loved you!" Milah yelled, the pressure forcing the horrible truth out to the open. There was a heavy pause, an awkward silence. Milah's blue eyes watched a heart break inside the strange greenish-golden orbs, which became instantly filled of void. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain invade her chest. He had been so fast, she didn't have time to react. She heard Killian scream out her name. Milah watched the emotionless face of the monster as he ripped her heart out of her chest. Glowing red between green fingers, beating its last beats. She could hear Killian scream behind her and felt her legs give away. She fell backwards and hit the ground. Everything seemed to go slower and she watched with some confusion Killian's face on top of her, his lips uttering words of love, his eyes watering at the loss of his true love.

"I love you." Milah whispered back and felt one last pain before the word became black before her eyes. Killian Jones looked up to see his beloved heart turned in to ashes, slipping thought the beast's fingers.

"You may be more powerful now, demon, but you're no lesser coward!" Jones yelled in pain, the thirst of revenge already darkening his heart.

"I'll have what I came for now." Rumpelstitlskin said in a business voice.

"You'll have to kill me first!" The pirate yelled as he made a run to the Primordial.

"I'm afraid that's not in the cards for you, sonny boy." In a wink of an eye, he drew his sword and sliced the pirate's hand, the one that was still holding the bean. "I want you alive. Because I want you to suffer like I did." Killian Jones screamed of agony as he watched the blood stream from his chopped hand. He looked up at the creature and when he realized he was about to leave the ship, he grabbed a hook and tried to stab him in the heart. Rumpelstiltskin, hearing his cry, dogged just in time and missed the blow. "Killing me is going to take a lot more than that, dearie." He mockingly told.

"Even demons can be killed! I will find a way!" The pirate shouted, while the beast merely grinned maliciously.

"Well, good luck finding me, then." At this, he vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Killian Jones, still processing what just happened, stared hopelessly at the ground. He saw the hook he used to attack Rumpelstiltskin lying under him. He picked it up with a thoughtful expression.

"I will find you demon. And then I'll skin myself a crocodile."

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**I will be away for a while, in holiday which means that I won't be able to post any stories/chapters in the following 2 weeks. Sorry for the long wait, but as soon I'm back, I'll be writing again :)**

**Anyway, what are your thoughts for this chapter? Please review :)**


	26. Old Lies

**I am back from my holiday's! Back to writing :)**

**Thank you for your reviews (and for the kind holiday's wishes): Grace5231973, Ladii Emelia, Twyla Mercedes, xanimejunkie, Nami Swannn, thedoctorsgirl42, orthankg1, ujemaima.**

** I totaly agree with your opinions about Milah and Hook. I too have my doubts about their true feelings. And even thought I tried to write Milah's point of view in the last chapter, I totaly think what she did is absolutely unforgivable!**

**I do not own Once Upon a Time**

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A puff of purple smoke filled the center of the Dark Castle's large living-room. As the smoke dissipated it revealed a strange creature looking like a man and yet not looking quite human. Rumpelstitlskin took a deep breath and allowed his powers to diminish, returning to his normal appearance. He stood still and silent for a few moments. The last images of his wife flashed before his eyes. Of her heart turning into ash between his fingers. He took another deep breath and looked around. The ample division was empty. Clearly, the Dark One had not returned from her businesses yet. His eyes scanned the room in silence, while he remained immobile on his spot. Large windows, red curtains, beautiful embroidered tapestries. The objects that had become so familiar to him the last months did not give him the peace and comfort he sought. His eyes finally fell on the lifeless hand of the pirate. Rumpelstitlskin started breathing faster as a new wave of anger, frustration and pain swept through his body. He paced slowly and too calmly to the table and placed the pirate's hand on it. He took a few paces backwards, his eyes never leaving the hand. He closed his eyes and still could hear Milah whisper her last words to Killian Jones. Words of love.

How many times had she whispered him those words during their wedded time? How many times had she lied to him and had uttered those phrases with emptiness and no true meaning? Lies. Nothing but lies. He opened his eyes. His heart was crying but his eyes were dry. His chest hurt from the fast breathing. Or perhaps it was from a broken heart. Rumpelstiltskin could feel the tremors take hold of his body as the anger that was building up in his chest became overwhelming.

Without thinking, he grabbed a golden rod used to decorate a naked corner. He held it with both hands and lifted the heavy rod aiming it to a shelf with glassed doors. Glass shattered and broke into thousands of tiny pieces, flying through the room, falling on top of him, cutting his skin. Yet he ignored the small stings. Nothing was compared to the pain he felt in his chest, in the deepness of his soul. Nothing was compared to the pain of years of lies and deceit. Of false words and fake love. Treachery. And so he hit the shelf again and again. He hit until there was no more glass to break. And instead, he broke the objects kept inside the shelf. Objects he had come to cherish for their prettiness. But he was blind. He saw not what he was doing. He saw nothing but Milah's cold blue eyes staring back at him with disgust.

_Because I never loved you_

He hit every single object there was to hit. He hit with all the strength he had. Each violent blow was an escape for his anger. For his pain. His agony. He hit until the wood cracked. He hit until the shelf was completely destroyed. Frustrated for having nothing more to break, he dropped the heavy rod with a thump, turned to the table and picked up a tea cup with a golden ribbon around its edge. He threw it against the wall. Another tea cup flew against the wall and shattered miserably. And another one and then the tea pot. He was about to throw another tea cup when he realized, this one was different from the others. It had a blue decoration and had a small chip. It was the tea cup he broke his first day in the castle.

Rumpelstitlskin ceased with his vandalistic actions and instead contemplated the chipped cup. He remembered thinking back then, when he broke the cup, the Dark One could have stroke him dead, but didn't. He remembered wondering if it had been a choice or simply luck. He remembered hoping it was more than luck. He had hoped for a human heart hiding behind a cruel façade. And since then he insisted drinking from that tea cup. Because the hard and cold porcelain reminded of the Dark One's unkind façade. Because the beautiful simplicity of the cup reminded of the young woman's pretty looks. Because the small chip reminded of the feeble hope he carried of a human being residing behind those cold eyes. Suddenly he felt tired. Rumpelstiltskin realized he was panting and sweating. The pain in his chest had subsided and he was allowed to breathe again. He realized his hopes had been answered. He had come to learn the human being living inside the Dark One. A beautiful, lovely and sweet girl. But more importantly, he came to learn to love her. And before he knew it, he had given his heart entirely and solely to Belle.

He placed the chipped cup back on the table. It had become a symbol to the delicate relationship between him and Belle. Frail at first, based on hopes and fears; now growing stronger, based on trust and loyalty. In this crazy world of uncertainties, there was one thing he knew for sure. Belle loved him, as much as he loved her. They _truly_ did. And then he realized. The truth had never been presented to him this clearly before. He finally understood. He would never have been able to do to her what he did otherwise. Rumpelstitlskin knew now he never had truly loved Milah.

His momentary blindness from earlier had dissipated completely. Now he watched the massive destruction he had caused. He watched the mess of scattered glass, ceramic and wood all spread around the floor. Somehow, Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help and let a small grin of satisfaction escape. But the grin soon faded away as he composed himself. He straitened his back, wiped the hair of his face and made a fast circle gesture with his right hand. His brown eyes watched with some wonder as the broken pieces of wood, glass and ceramic gathered together and returned to their original places, restoring themselves completely.

He stood a few moments contemplating the shelf. There were no remains of his fierce outburst. The tea set likewise. With a slight smile on his lips, Rumpeltskiltskin placed the rod back where it belonged. While his mind unclouded itself, he was reminded of his primary goal. He went back to the table, back to the pirate's hand. He picked it up. He pulled up the pinker. His heart skipped a beat. He pulled another finger. Anxiety started filling his chest. Another finger. He finally breathed of relieve when he saw the corner of the magical bean hidden under Jones' index and thumb. The slave smiled with a sigh, not wishing to imagine what his mistress would have done to him if he had failed his task. He rested the bean on the table and walked towards the fireplace, Killian Jones' cold hand on his. He threw the lifeless hand into the fire of the hearth and sat on the couch opposite it. His eyes were transfixed on the flames as they slowly consumed the hand. He watched the skin melt, the blood drip, the flesh become black. He watched the consuming flames to what felt like ages. And for the first time, he sensed his mistress' arrival.

"Ah, you are already back." Rumpeltstiltskin heard Belle's joyful voice behind him. "You should have seen it!" The Dark One spoke with great excitement and merriness in her voice "She was about to make some poor girl's wish come through when I…BANG! Obliterated her!" Belle proudly stated, while she placed a blue wand on a support holding another two magical wands. "But the look on the girl's face…Indescribable! She was so upset. So desperate that she made a deal with me. The ignorant girl signed a contract without even reading it! The fool."

"And what is it you are going to demand from this poor girl?" Rumpelstiltskin asked from his couch. Since the Dark One arrived, he had not budged. He remained seated, his hands resting on his knees, his eyes fixed on the burning flesh. Belle sensed an unnatural coldness in his voice, but she figured out it had to do with their differences in opinion about her deal making.

"Her first born. There are enough barren couples out there that are willing to deal for a baby." She proudly stated, sounding like if she was actually doing something charitable. The Dark One could hear a disapproval grunt come from the couch and smirked amused. Then her eyes finally caught of the magical bean. "I see you got the bean." She picked it up and looked at it fascinated. She had read a lot about these portal openers, but had never seen one until now. She looked at the couch and only could see the back of Rumpelstitlskin's head. "What is this smell?" She asked while she summoned a glass phial, put the bean in it and made them disappear into thin air. She walked a few steps closer to the fireplace and looked better at the flames. "Is that…a hand?"

"It belonged to the guy that tried to stop me from getting the bean." Rumpelstitlskin coolly stated. Belle almost gulped at the thought and finally looked at her slave. She instantly knew something was off. His face was blank and all his muscles were tense. He looked impassive but she could sense the fire around him. She could sense his energy. His dark magic.

"What happened?" There was no reply. Rumpelstitlskin did not move. But Belle didn't miss the slight pressure increase in his fingertips. "Rumpel?" Still nothing, so she slowly came closer and rested her hand on his shoulder. Belle never expected Rumpelstitlskin to startle from her touch the way he did. He had practically jumped and was sitting now with his back pressed against the couch's arm. But it was the look on his face that worried her the most. He looked shocked and scarred, surprised and hurt, angry and vulnerable. Belle took his hands on hers. They were icy cold. "Rumpel, what happened?" She insisted and watched for her relieve some of his initial distress fade away. But now he looked more helpless than before. He looked into her eyes and seemed to hesitate. Belle knew he was holding an important secret from her and was pondering if he should share it or not. Sensing his sorrow, Belle placed her right hand on his cheek. "You can trust me." She whispered and smiled tenderly, a smile only reserved to him. Pain and love seemed to cross his eyes for a second, yet he smiled. He gently removed Belle's hand from his face so they were holding their hands together.

"Years ago I was led to believe my wife had been taken by pirates." He spoke softly, his voice a ghost of a whisper. Belle furrowed her brow in confusion. Had he not told her he was a widower? "I told the world she had died... I told my son she had died." He closed his eyes. They were pricking terribly from staring at the fire for too long, burning from their unnatural dryness. "But today…today I learned the truth. That she had chosen to leave. She chose to leave me and our son behind because she had fallen in love with some scum pirate!" He spoke the last words with hate and Belle could feel tremors pass through his hands. "She abandoned a six-year old… her own flesh and blood…for a pirate!"

"Where is she now?" Belle asked, looking truly shocked at the revelation. Rumpelstitlskin glanced briefly at her and looked all at the sudden guilty. She pressed her fingers around his hands only slightly, encouraging him to go on.

"She's dead. This time for good." He spoke with a trembling voice.

"Did you?"

"I ripped her heart out and…and crushed it!" He said with a cracked voice, full of anger and pain. Belle was surprised with the bitter tone, with the hate and disgust surrounding his words. Surprised his wife's actions had led him to use the darkest form of magic, one he had so determinately refused to use.

"Do you regret?" Again he hesitated. He stared a few moments at their hands, fingers intertwined, tanned with creamy, a perfect contrast, a perfect complementation.

"No." He admitted with a whisper. "If I could, I would rip her heart out again and again and again."

"Good." Belle calmly said while she pulled a lock of brown graying hair behind his ear. "Because that's what that bitch deserves."

…

"The toy cart!" A lovely small girl with golden long hair and shinny brown eyes pointed at a stall full of toys in the open market of Dhill. The old woman standing behind it made a gesture with her hand, inviting the child to approach. The girl ran to the cart, pulling her father's arm, who smiled at her excitement. Her selective eyes studied the toys until they found a white stuffed rabbit. She happily picked it up and turned to her father, giving him her sweetest smile. "Wouldn't this make the perfect guest for our tea parties, Papa? Can I have him? Please?"

"Excuse me. How much for the rabbit?" Her father asked. He was a tall good looking man in the end of his twenties, but poorly dressed and with uncared overgrown hair. He missed the malicious glint in the old woman's eyes before answering him.

"That costs one silver." She said, savoring each word, knowing the man didn't possess the means to buy his daughter a simple toy. He took out his wallet and looked a bit worried. Small copper coins fell on his hand, almost enough to reach one silver.

"Would you take it for eight coppers? It's all I have." He tentatively tried, with a kind smile. The old woman shook her head and gave him a fake compassionate smile.

"Oh, you are a good father. Your last coppers for your little girl's happiness, ah?" She asked sweetly, displaying her rotten teeth.

"Thank you." The father said relieved, misunderstanding the woman's words as an agreement to his price.

"Oh, I did not say I accept. Alas, I cannot take less than one silver…The economy. You understand." She sadly said, while she laughed internally. He looked outraged and was about to argue when the girl spoke.

"It's okay, Papa. Come on, people are waiting." The girl said, already mature of spirit, understanding the limitations of both her father and the selling's woman.

"Will this be enough?" A man's voice was heard behind the father. He turned around and his face shone of happiness when he recognized the Dark One's new slave, holding between his fingers a thin but perfect golden threat.

"More than enough." The old woman replied overly kindly, resisting the urge to shoot dagger's at the obnoxious man.

Rumpelstitlskin had just ruined her evil scheme. The old woman was in fact Queen Regina in a transformed form, plotting to force Jefferson into realizing he needed money, so he would take her to Wonderland, so she could have her father back. It was all going perfectly according to plan until the slave showed up. She watched frustrated the girl thanking the man with a bright smile, pressing the stuffed animal against her chest. He watched upset as the men greeted friendly, having talked the last time about four months. They asked each other how they were. And then there was tension. Soon Jefferson was guiding Rumpelstitltskin further from her cart. Regina figured out the Dark One would be the subject of their conversation, knowing the tragic results of Jefferson and Carrol's last trip. She morphed into a sparrow and flew nearby the two men.

"…and so she refused to help me!" Jefferson told upset, recounting his tragic loss and the Dark One's lack of interest in helping him out.

"Maybe I can help?" Rumpelstiltskin offered, looking genuinely concerned.

"No. I don't want to cause any trouble to you." Jefferson dismissed. "Carrol was taken by time... I-I have made my own research and unfortunately there is no way of retrieving her back." He sorrowfully said. "Besides, if things are okay between you two, you better keep it that way."

Regina thought the last part of the phrase quite interesting, especially the way Jefferson added a double meaning tone to it. Maybe not all was lost. Maybe she still could get something out of this unexpected encounter. The Queen, in the form of a small bird, watched Rumpelstitlskin offer some more golden threads to the Mad Hatter, insisting that if he ever needed more gold to let him know. Regina was loathing him insanely, her plan now completely destroyed. She would have to come up with something else to get Jefferson to use his portal. The men meanwhile paid their goodbyes and went on separate ways. The Queen decided to follow Rumpelstitlskin for a while, morphing into a fly and rested on his cloak. She watched him purchasing some products that were clearly meant for the Dark One's potions. But then he bought something that didn't quite fit any potion's ingredients. A single red rose. The fly's small eyes glinted unkindly. Maybe there was more to this slave/mistress relationship than she first thought. Once Rumpelstitlskin was ready with his shopping, he wandered off the village until he reached an isolated place. Suddenly they were inside the Dark Castle. No doubt, he had just teletransported himself. The fly then morphed into a small mouse and hid strategically behind one of the table's legs.

"I got the stuff you asked for." Rumpelstitlskin announced. Belle who was sitting with a book on her lap got up ready to inspect the acquired products. Regina watched with great pleasure the way Rumpelstitlskin hid the rose behind his back and suddenly displayed it in front of Belle, with a gracious gesture. "For you. If you will have it."

The Queen didn't miss the look of surprise on Belle's face, followed by a flirty shy smile when she accepted the flower. They both bowed courteously afterwards in a playful manner and then Belle wrapped her arms around her slave. She kissed him lovingly on the cheek and then they locked their gazes, both looking genuinely happy. Regina watched the way the two of them interacted, the way they shared soft caresses, the way their eyes glinted and smiles grew gleefully. They were in love. Truly in love.

The mouse made a run out of the room, down the staircase, until it was in the castle grounds. Once outside, hidden under the shadows of tall trees, Regina turned back to her own form. She smiled cruelly before disappearing in a puff of purple smoke. Rumpelstitlskin may have spoiled her plan for Jefferson. But he presented her a much more valuable information. The Dark One's cold heart had melted. Belle had now a weakness. And Regina was ready to use this weakness against her. A new scheme was starting to design in her mind. She would crush Belle.

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**So...**

**Any thoughts about this chapter?**

**Love to know what you found of it.**

**Please, review **


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